Found
by struckbythewishingspell
Summary: Ryan Evans was born to be in the spotlight. Kelsi Nielsen spent her life in the background. Could they turn out to be exactly what the other needs? Ryelsi & other cannon couples, some Jason bashing, rated for language/adult themes
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer for all chapters:** I own nothing but the plot. All characters and songs belong to Disney.

**Summary: **Ryan Evans was born to be in the spotlight. Kelsi Nielsen spent her life in the background. Could they turn out to be exactly what the other needs? Much better than it sounds. Ryelsi & other cannon couples. Some Jason bashing.

CHAPTER ONE

She'd never had the best luck in the world, especially when it came to being close to people. Part of that was why she moved to Albuquerque in the first place. Now that she was in a new city, she was a different person. The old Kelsi Nielsen wasn't as quiet and reserved and shy. This Kelsi wasn't taking any chances. This was her new beginning, and she wasn't going to risk messing it up. She had been waiting too long for this chance. She sighed as she sat in her room with her headphones on, listening to music. She was listening to a soft acoustic band, trying to clear her head. Music had always been her sanctuary.

Kelsi's grandmother got her into music. Her grandmother had enrolled her in dance lessons when she was younger, but Kelsi just wasn't meant to be a dancer. She was the one who payed for Kelsi's piano lessons when she was little. She was the one who encouraged Kelsi's talent and who gave Kelsi her first keyboard. Kelsi had always loved going to her grandmother's house to play her baby grand piano. Her parents insisted that music was a waste of time, and while they didn't mind Kelsi having a hobby, they found it ridiculous when she mentioned the idea of wanting to make music her career.

Her grandmother was the only person who really appreciated Kelsi's talent and continued to encourage her. Kelsi soon started to write her own songs, and never had the confidence to perform them in front of anyone but her grandmother. She was her father's mother, but her father hated his mother for reasons that Kelsi never cared to understand. Kelsi was devastated when her grandmother died, but she never gave up on her music. In fact, her grandmother had left Kelsi that beautiful baby grand piano she loved playing so much. It was through playing the piano that she first met Jeremy, her first boyfriend.

Kelsi grew up in Seattle, Washington. She was a generally happy person. She wasn't too social, but she didn't purposefully keep to herself. Jeremy was a year older than her and played the bass guitar. He saw Kelsi sitting alone at lunch one day and decided to join her. After that, he would sit with her every day, and eventually he asked her out. Kelsi said yes, thinking that this boy was amazing. He was nice to her and everything. Well, Kelsi turned out to be dead wrong about her prince charming.

Kelsi's parents also started fighting a lot around the time she started dating Jeremy. When her parents would fight, she would try to escape. Playing piano to drown out the sounds of their arguing only lasted so long. She needed to get out, and so she stumbled upon a small local venue where local bands would play almost every night. This place became Kelsi's second home. Kelsi loved being surrounded by people who loved music, feeling the pulse of the amplifiers through her entire body, standing and dancing and singing until she used every ounce of her energy. She loved the atmosphere, because she was completely engulfed by music. It didn't matter to her which bands were playing. She always loved discovering someone new. Whenever she got upset with her parents' incessant arguing, she would retreat to her new hideout and let the music drown out her worries.

This soon created more worries. Jeremy wanted to know where she kept going and was convinced that Kelsi was cheating on him or sneaking around with other guys. He often accused her of being a groupie who tried to sleep with the bands after the shows. Kelsi was too weak to break up with him, so she dealt with his constant accusations and verbal assaults. How she regretted that now... If she would've known then how much worse it would get, she would have left... wouldn't she?

She knew she had school the next day, but she couldn't seem to fall asleep, even when she tried. She just focused on the music playing through her head, listening to every chord and following every melody until they finally led her into a deep sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO

Ryan Evans never really fit in. He had spent his life following his sister around and doing as he was told, and in doing so established his place in the world as Sharpay's sidekick. He was less than a sidekick, actually. He was more like a servant. Ryan sighed, laying in bed. He knew he should be getting up for school. After all, it was only weeks into his sophomore year, and his sister was determined to make this year the best it could be. He was honestly tired of spending all of his time with Sharpay, as much as he loved her. You could say that Sharpay treated Ryan like a dog at times, but that was untrue—Sharpay treated her dog much better than she treated her twin brother. That was one of Sharpay's more annoying qualities; she hated regarding anyone as her equal, and although Ryan was probably more talented than her, she would never acknowledge it.

Sharpay dreamed of being a star on Broadway and taking over the world with her popularity. Sharpay wasn't exactly the nicest person, and so the twins never really had any friends. It wasn't that Sharpay was a particularly _bad_ person, but she was extremely competitive, and this spirit often took control of her. She would sabotage other's attempts at success instead of admiring their talent. She would put others down constantly to remain in control. She had outstanding confidence and found herself to be the epitome of perfection. In Sharpay's world, she was a princess and everyone should treat her as such.

Ryan supposed that part of the reasoning for Sharpay's superiority complex was because of their father. Vance Evans was a very wealthy man with a huge soft spot for his little girl. He had spoiled her with lavish things since the day she was born and always let her get her way. Sharpay grew up believing that everyone should do what she wanted when she wanted, and Ryan was no exception to that rule. He hated butting heads with his sister because he nearly always lost, so he just went along with what she said to keep the peace. Keeping the peace meant sacrificing having a normal life to make his sister happy.

Ryan's school was run by the popular jocks—the basketball stars. Namely one Mr. Troy Bolton seemed to own the school. Every guy wanted to be his friend and every girl wanted to be, well, more than friends with Troy, it seemed. Ryan didn't think Troy was a bad guy, but he envied how easy he had things. Troy was naturally talented, which Ryan was also, but Troy's talent was actually appreciated by his peers. Everyone saw Ryan's acting and singing and dancing and, rather than admiring him for it, labeled him as the gay drama geek. Even the kids in drama club didn't want to be friends with him because of his sister and her competitive nature—not that Sharpay would let him be friends with any of them. She wouldn't allow Ryan to be friends with anyone who she considered to be inferior, which basically meant that Ryan wasn't allowed to have any friends at all.

Ryan's lack of friends did bring him very close to his family, however. Ryan's mother, Derby, loved her son dearly. Ryan was always closer to his mom than he was his dad—his dad had wanted him to take over the family business when he grew up, but Ryan wanted to pursue a career in choreography instead. Derby loved Ryan's ability to be himself. She adored his kind heart and his loyalty to his sister. Ryan was also really close to his grandfather, who had encouraged him to keep dancing when he was made fun of for it. Ryan had taken dance classes with Sharpay as a child and almost quit because he was the only boy in the class. His grandfather was his inspiration, his motivation, his hero... Ryan was very grateful for his family.

He got out of bed to get dressed. He wished something could change in his life, sometimes. Despite his close and supportive family, he longed to have real friends of his own. There were just some things his family couldn't supply for him. I mean, they had to be there for him—they were family. He wanted to meet new people who would appreciate him for who he was, and who didn't judge him based on his overbearing sister. He sighed, knowing that the hope was futile. He was a sophomore already and everyone at East High already saw him as nothing more than Sharpay's brother, the drama geek... who would want to be friends with him? He shook his head and got ready for his day, knowing it would be far too much like all the others.


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER THREE

Kelsi was overwhelmed when she walked into East High for her first day. The hallways were crowded and decorated with red and white banners. Everyone seemed busy, and there were obvious cliques established throughout the school. She made her way to her homeroom. Her teacher, Ms. Darbus, welcomed her warmly and showed her to her seat in the front row. Kelsi slumped into her chair, not wanting to draw attention to herself. She pulled her sleeves over he hands and rested her head on her arms. She hadn't slept very long the night before and was still tired. She didn't feel like being in school.

She looked around the classroom as the others all talked, oblivious to the presence of the new student. There were basketball players sitting together in one area of the room, talking animatedly about an upcoming game against a rival school. There were pictures on the back bulletin board of the spring and winter musicals from the year before. Kelsi wondered for a moment about the school drama club. She didn't really want to make any new friends at East High, but joining the drama club did give her a good excuse to get out of the house for a while, and it would look good on college applications if she ever plucked up the nerve to apply to Julliard or NYU someday. She debated the idea in her head, and finally decided to ask Ms. Darbus about it.

"Um, Ms. Darbus," she said, still not wanting to draw too much attention to herself. Ms. Darbus approached her desk.

"Yes, Miss Nielsen? Was there something you needed?" The woman looked hopeful, like she was itching for someone to finally inquire about the drama club. As talented as the Evans twins were, they had driven people away from the idea of joining the drama club. She wasn't willing to give up Sharpay and Ryan's talents for a few extra members, but it still disappointed her.

"I was just wondering about joining the drama club," Kelsi said, causing the woman to smile. "I play the piano, and I'm a bit of a composer, I suppose, I was just wondering if you thought I should join...?" Ms. Darbus was immediately excited.

"Oh yes, dear, we've never had our own composer, and we definitely need a pianist. This is wonderful, you'll just have to ask the heads of the drama club, over there, Sharpay and Ryan Evans." She gestured to the blonde twins across the room.

Kelsi examined the twins for a moment. Sharpay was a complete Barbie doll, complete with the long blond hair and completely pink wardrobe. She was flipping through some fashion magazine, completely in her own world. Kelsi wondered if her ego was as big as her hair, and decided that it probably was. Ryan, on the other hand, looked thoughtful. Kelsi almost smiled at his attire—mostly because, despite the fact that he was wearing bright blue when most boys wore less extravagant colors, he wore a hat, much like Kelsi herself did on a daily basis. He wasn't bad-looking, either, but Kelsi was definitely not looking for a boyfriend. No, a boyfriend was the very last thing she would want at this point in her life... but still, he was pretty cute.


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER FOUR

Ryan was in his own world when he heard the bell ring for homeroom to start. He never paid too much attention during homeroom, but there was a new girl who caught his eye. She was sitting in the front row scribbling on a piece of paper. She had long brown hair that was pulled back into a wavy ponytail and her head was topped with a green messenger boy hat. She was wearing a short-sleeved dark and light green striped shirt with a long-sleeved white shirt underneath. Her legs were crossed at the ankles under her desk. She wore white jeans and black converse shoes. She glanced around the room, and Ryan noticed that she had blue eyes under her round wire-framed glasses. Ryan thought she was absolutely adorable.

Ms. Darbus made the morning homeroom announcements, which Ryan barely heard. Maybe this new girl was exactly what he needed. Maybe she would be his friend, and not judge him the way the others did. He knew this was a feeble hope, but he held onto it regardless. The bell rang and the girl didn't leave, she hung back and bit her lip before approaching Ryan and Sharpay as they packed up their things. "Um," she said, "Ms. Darbus said I had to talk to the two of you about joining drama club."

Ryan's heart lifted. She wasn't going to think he was weird for liking theater if she was in the drama club. He looked at his sister, who hardly seemed to notice the new girl. He decided to speak, seeing that Sharpay intended to ignore the girl completely. "What do you do?" he asked. "Do you sing, act, dance...?" The girl almost blushed, which made Ryan smile.

"I play piano," she said quietly. "I'm a composer... I write songs, eventually I hope to write shows..." Ryan had never met a fifteen-year-old composer before, and was impressed. His sister sighed, deciding that she _had_ to talk now.

"Fine, you're in," Sharpay said reluctantly. "Sit with us at lunch, we're the center table on the top floor of the cafeteria." The new girl nodded and Sharpay snapped, signaling for Ryan to accompany her out of the room. He sighed inwardly, but followed his sister to their next class, giving a small smile to the new girl as they left. It was only when they parted ways that he realized he hadn't even learned the girl's name. He shook his head and wondered about this new girl through his next lesson. He wasn't sure what to expect when he finally got to really talk to her—if he did, that is. He found himself anxiously awaiting lunch, and wondering if he would have any more classes with her. He thought about the girl all through the day, actually.

What was her name? He would be sure to find that out immediately the next time he saw her. Where was she from? What brought her to East High? What kind of music did she write? How long had she been involved with music? His mind was buzzing with things he wanted to know about his potential new friend. He felt someone shove him, and snapped out of it.

"What's with you?" Sharpay hissed. They sat together in history, and he had been absorbed in his thoughts all through the class.

"I was just thinking," he said. "...That new girl is kind of cute," he admitted. He knew that it was a mistake to mention the moment the words left his mouth. His sister turned to him with a very strict look on her face. He felt a lecture coming on.

"Ryan, you are a performer," she reminded him. "You don't have time to worry about girls or friends or socializing at all. We have dance lessons twice a week, vocal lessons twice a week, and rehearsals every other day until the winter musical. You signed up for that ridiculous yoga class with Mother, and with all of that and school you have no time at all to think about some little piano-playing girl you don't even know. This is important, Ryan; this is your career and your future. Chances are, you meet the girl, you like her, you ask her out, you break up. The end. All she would do is distract you, anyway, so forget about it."

As harsh as it was, Ryan had to admit that his sister's words had some merit. He had too much on his plate already, and would already be struggling to keep up a balance between school and all of his extra-curricular activities. He sighed.

Once again, friendship was being pushed aside for something else, but this time, he knew that his sister was right.


	5. Chapter 5

CHAPTER FIVE

Kelsi wasn't really looking forward to sitting with Sharpay Evans at lunch. Kelsi wasn't really looking forward to anything, though, except maybe going home and hiding away in her room for a while. She sighed as she entered the cafeteria. It didn't take her very long to find the table Sharpay had been talking about, because right in the center of the room at the top of the stairs sat Ryan Evans, already happily enjoying his lunch. Kelsi wished she could find bliss in a simple part of the routine school day like him. She didn't buy anything—she had a bottle of green tea she had been saving, and that would be enough.

She hesitantly made her way to the table and sat down. She pulled pages of sheet music out of her bag, deciding to work on something to avoid any conversations. That plan didn't exactly work out. Ryan looked up the moment he heard her sit down.

"Hi," he said. After thinking about it all day, he was glad to get a minute alone to talk to the new girl before Sharpay showed up.

"Hi," Kelsi replied quietly. She knew she wouldn't be able to avoid talking to Ryan once he had addressed her.

"I never caught your name," he said. Kelsi mentally kicked herself. Of course, she would be the ditz who couldn't even remember to introduce herself on her first day of school. She really was useless sometimes, she resolved with a slight frown.

"Oh, sorry. Um, I'm Kelsi... Nielsen," she told him. She was so embarrassed. She was already wishing lunch would end before she could embarrass herself any further. Before Ryan could ask her another question, she asked him one. "So where is your sister at?" she asked. Ryan had been busy thinking about Kelsi's name, and was surprised when she questioned him.

"She's probably off fawning over Troy Bolton." Kelsi looked confused. "I'm surprised you haven't heard of him already," Ryan laughed. "Troy Bolton is the basketball coach's son. He's the big star around here. The whole school practically worships him and his buddies... He's down there." He pointed to where Troy sat with Chad Danforth, Zeke Baylor, and Jason Cross. Sharpay stood at the edge of the group, trying to include herself. The guys didn't seem to even notice she was there.

"Oh," Kelsi said, taking a second to study Troy Bolton and then looking away. Ryan was surprised that she wasn't swooning over the popular jock like every other girl did. This girl really was different—he hadn't just been imagining it.

Just when Kelsi thought Ryan was going to ask her something else, Sharpay showed up. Kelsi didn't think she'd be happy to see the irritated blonde, but for a moment, she felt saved. Kelsi hadn't intended to really talk to anyone—she didn't want anyone to be able to get close to her, especially on her first day. She had enough trouble without adding new "friends" to the list. Kelsi didn't think she would ever be able to trust anyone again, so the concept of friendship was really lost on her.

Sharpay sat down in an overly-dramatic huff and began ranting and raving to her poor brother about how obnoxious the Wildcats were. The Wildcats were the basketball team, Kelsi gathered. Thankfully, Kelsi was already used to drowning out the sound of yelling, and so she just continued her work and drank her tea, almost feeling, well, like she was at home.


	6. Chapter 6

CHAPTER SIX

Sharpay hadn't noticed it when Ryan first brought up the subject of the new girl, but when she saw him talking to her, she came to a realization. This was more than just some "Oh, she's cute" thing. This could be real trouble, and she was not about to allow that. Sure, Kelsi wasn't bad looking, but she definitely wasn't anything extraordinary. She most certainly wasn't good enough for her brother. There was something about the look in his eyes when he was talking to her that just didn't sit right with Sharpay. She made sure to get to lunch early from that point on, to make sure they didn't have any time alone.

This suited Kelsi just fine. Part of her wanted to talk to Ryan, but if his sister was any indication, he probably wasn't the nice guy he presented himself to be. Part of her was disappointed when Ryan decided to give up almost two weeks later, and stopped trying to beat his sister to lunch or to get Kelsi alone. Kelsi hadn't seemed interested in him, anyway. That was just his luck. He had managed to ask her a few questions, such as what did she want to do with her life? He was delighted to hear that they shared the dream of going to Julliard, only she wanted to go for music and he wanted to go for choreography.

He had also asked her where she was from, which was Seattle. Then he asked her what had brought her to Albuquerque, and his sister interrupted before Kelsi could say anything—not that she was going to tell him. That most definitely went against her plan to keep to herself. There were just some things she wouldn't allow this Ryan Evans kid to know, for her own sanity.

No one else at East High made an effort to talk to Kelsi. She didn't mind. She spent most of her lessons working on her music, and during free period, she would hide away in the East High music room that Ms. Darbus had showed her, playing the piano and refining her compositions. It was nice to be able to get some work done without listening to her parents fight or without being surrounded by other people throughout the school day. Kelsi would've never left the room, if she had that option. Some days she even skipped her biology class because she was too absorbed in her work to even hear the bell ring.

Then, at the end of every day, Kelsi would go home to the home where her mother was usually drinking while her father was at work. She would hurry up to her room before her mother got the chance to say anything to her, and she would once again throw herself into her music, for any excuse to escape from her reality. This escape would prove to be almost useless by the time her father got home. By the time she heard his car door slam, she knew there was no amount of music that could prevent her from hearing how the rest of the evening would go for her parents. She blamed herself for why they hated each other.

Although their fighting had been bad back in Seattle, it had gotten even worse since they moved. Kelsi would often hear her dad drive away, tires screeching down the road, going God knows where. She would hear her mother sitting alone in the kitchen, screaming at no one about how she hated her life. Kelsi wasn't sure she would ever want to get married, after seeing how unhappy her parents were together. They weren't happy, period, perhaps most especially when it came to their daughter.

Kelsi's father had told her on multiple occasions that she was weak, stupid, useless, lazy, and a bitch. He liked to remind her that her talent was useless and that she would never get anywhere in life. He said that she was too weak to do anything for herself and that she would spend the rest of her life getting stepped on by anyone and everyone who wanted to use her. He, like her ex-boyfriend, considered her to be a slut—he never knew where she was going, and he wouldn't believe her response even if he had bothered to ask. Kelsi's mother, sadly, wasn't really any better. She blamed her daughter for her failed marriage and for her retreat into alcoholism. Kelsi only seemed to cause more problems for her already-dysfunctional family.

Things had been like that for as long as Kelsi could remember. She knew, from her father's explosions, that she was a mistake baby. Her parents had decided long ago that neither of them wanted any children. Kelsi's grandmother wouldn't allow them to abort the baby, saying that if they really didn't want her that she would raise Kelsi herself. Kelsi's mother didn't want to give her mother-in-law the satisfaction of knowing that she wouldn't be a proper mother. Kelsi realized why her father hated his mother so much—it was because she had made him keep Kelsi, and for her parents, they believed Kelsi's conception to be the worst thing to ever happen to them. Kelsi knew she wasn't wanted, and she never tried to deny it. She had never been wanted.

As she rolled over on her bed again, her music turned up as loud as possible, she wondered if she ever would be.


	7. Chapter 7

CHAPTER SEVEN

Ryan hadn't made any more efforts to talk to Kelsi. Soon, it was time for the winter musical. Kelsi was asked to play the piano for the auditions. After the first few, she lost hope. None of the people at East High really seemed to have any talent. She was about to ask if she could leave, tired of hearing her favorite song from Singin' in the Rain get butchered to death.

Finally, someone redeeming stood up. Sharpay stood up to sing. Although she was a bitch, she had a decent voice. It wasn't the most spectacular voice Kelsi had heard by any means, but she blew away the rest of her competition. Kelsi knew that she would be cast as Lina Lamont, even if it wasn't the leading role, because it fit Sharpay's personality better. Ryan knew Singin' in the Rain, of course. He and his sister had done the same musical in their middle school, which he didn't mention to Ms. Darbus. He already had Don's role memorized. Not to mention that it was one of his favorite movies of all time. He sat watching his sister's audition. She had complained about not wanting Lina's role again, but he was sure that she would be getting that part.

Kelsi sang along under her breath as Sharpay performed Good Mornin', which Ryan noticed and smiled a little. Sharpay finished and Ryan was called up onto the stage. Kelsi started to play the same song again, not expecting anything special from the male Evans. When he opened his mouth, she was blown away. He had the most beautiful tenor voice she had ever heard. Not only that, but he was dancing, and he was really good at it. Kelsi always had a bit of a soft spot for dancers, which was part of why she loved watching musicals so much—especially when it came to Dirty Dancing, because she loved watching the way they moved, the power of their hips, their grace, their passion, their sensuality... Kelsi never felt as physically attracted to a single person as she did to Ryan Evans while he was on stage. She almost forgot to keep playing the song, she was so spellbound.

Ryan couldn't read Kelsi's expression as he performed. He hoped her stare was for a good reason. He suddenly felt nervous around the middle of his song. He knew he was good, but would Kelsi think so? The more important question may have been why did he care so much about what this girl thought of him? He didn't honestly know, but he was self-conscious.

He finished the song and bowed. He walked over towards Kelsi, having been the last to audition. "So, how'd I do?" he asked.

"Amazingly," Kelsi replied honestly, unable to hide how impressed she had been. "I've never seen anything like it." Ryan smiled, feeling oddly pleased as he stepped off the stage. Even if he didn't get the part—which he was sure he would after seeing the other auditions compared to his—at least he knew Kelsi had enjoyed watching him. He felt like he had already won.


	8. Chapter 8

CHAPTER EIGHT

Despite how much she had enjoyed watching Ryan on stage, Kelsi still made sure not to spend too much time talking to him. Ryan got the hint, and once again gave up on his attempts at forming a friendship. Kelsi's home life was getting more complicated, and she just wasn't feeling too great about anything in her life. She spent more time in the music room at school and less time at home. She would look for any excuse to avoid returning to the chaos of her house. She spent more time going to coffee shops and book stores by herself. She didn't think there was anything that could make her feel any worse.

She was sitting at home one night and got online. She had an instant message pop up from an unfamiliar name.

'Hey,' the person said. Kelsi hesitated, not knowing who was addressing her. 'It's Jeremy.' Kelsi immediately turned off her computer, curling up on her bed and struggling to breathe. She had worked so hard to forget about him, and he just had to pop up at the very worst moment to remind her of how truly awful her life was. Kelsi let go and cried. She had spent so much time working to keep her emotions in and pretend that she was fine, not wanting her life in Seattle to dictate who she was now in Albuquerque, but there was no avoiding this. The memories brought back by that one message from her ex was enough to send her into a downward spiral of fear and panic. She got up and left the house, not knowing what else she could do.

She managed to stop crying and sat in one of her usual coffee shops alone, hardly touching her drink. Her mind was too busy, and she couldn't seem to make sense of anything. Why had he talked to her? Why couldn't he just leave her alone? He wasn't allowed to talk to her. She should call the cops, but why bring that up again? All it would do would be to anger her parents even more. She heard someone walk over to her table. "Kelsi?" She looked up to see Ryan Evans with a latte, looking concerned.

"Oh, hi," she said quietly, looking back down at the drink in her hands. Ryan couldn't imagine why Kelsi would be in a coffee shop alone so late at night. It was nearing eleven. He had been on his way home from a dance lesson and asked the driver to stop so he could get a drink. He still had homework to do when he got home, and he would need the extra caffeine.

"Are you alright?" he asked, forgetting about all of the things he should be doing. Kelsi shrugged. "Can I sit down?"

"I don't know, Ryan; that might not be such a good idea," Kelsi said. No, she didn't want a guy around, not now, not ever.

Ryan sat down anyway. "Come on, Kelsi, there's obviously something on your mind... Just, are you going to be alright?" Kelsi thought about it. Kelsi had been asked a lot of questions, but this one was new to her. Would she be alright? She sighed.

"I guess," she said. "I'm just stressed out and worried..." She shook her head, trying to cover how messed up she really was.

"Oh, well, if you ever need to talk or anything, you can always call me," Ryan said. Sure, he didn't have time to make close friends, but he could at least offer to be there for someone who could potentially need him. Kelsi found herself... grateful.

"Thanks," she said. "I'll keep that in mind." No, she didn't think she would ever trust Ryan. That was one of her own issues that she would have to sort out, but from what she had seen, he was a genuinely good guy and he seemed to really care about Kelsi's well-being. Maybe Sharpay's cruelty had brought out some compassion in the male Evans? Kelsi wasn't sure. She didn't want a boyfriend, or a friend. That didn't mean she was against the idea of love. She always dreamed of being in love one day, she just didn't think it would ever happen to her. The only person who really loved Kelsi was her grandmother, and she was gone. Kelsi thought that, should she ever fall in love someday, it would be with a guy like Ryan Evans. He smiled slightly.

"Well, I've got to get home," he told her. "I'll see you in school, Kelsi." She nodded, wondering if she should thank him as he got up to leave. Before she could say anything, though, he was gone. Kelsi lost herself in thought once again.

She began to create a fantasy vision in her head of what life would be like to be in love with someone. Her dream man always resembled Ryan, which his cute smile and his blue eyes, his dancing and that honey tenor voice, and his cute hats... She was sure she was imagining most of the better qualities she saw in him. No one could be as perfect as she imagined Ryan to be, and she knew that, but the image she created made her feel a little better, like maybe true love could exist, and maybe one day she would find it. It would be with someone better than Jeremy, someone who would never hurt her the way that he had.

She walked home, forming a song in her head about this fantasy man that she was falling for, the one resembling Ryan.


	9. Chapter 9

CHAPTER NINE

Ryan and Kelsi didn't speak again unless it was during work on the musicals. After Singin' in the Rain, East High had done their spring production of The Music Man, where Ryan played Professor Harold Hill and Sharpay played Marian. Kelsi's dream image had caused her to think more highly of Ryan Evans, even though she knew the man she loved didn't exist inside of him. She didn't know Ryan enough to really tell, but it would be simply impossible for him to be as wonderful as the man in her head.

Still, she caught herself watching him more carefully, staring at him more often, and even dreaming of him at night. As she wrote her songs, she pictured him singing along, dancing to the melody, even holding her close as he did so... But she didn't love Ryan Evans, she loved the man she wished Ryan Evans was, and she continued to remind herself that her Ryan wasn't real. The real Ryan was Sharpay's brother who couldn't stand up for himself, the same way Kelsi couldn't stand up for herself.

Sharpay finally seemed to think that Ryan was getting over his small crush on Kelsi. The truth was, Ryan just buried himself in his other activities enough to keep himself from thinking about the composer too much. That didn't stop the way he felt when he was around her, the feeling he got when she blushed, the smile he wore when she spoke to him, the way his heart swelled up when she looked at him... but really, he hardly knew Kelsi. Maybe she wasn't the person he thought she was.

He didn't honestly care. What he did know about her, he liked very much. He only wished he could know more about her, but he knew it wasn't the time. He had other things to worry about and Kelsi couldn't be one of them. Not yet, at least. Maybe one day. He sighed, wondering when 'one day' would be. He was satisfied for the time being with seeing her in drama club, watching her work at lunch as she drank her green tea and lost herself in thought, and admiring her from afar in every class they shared.

Kelsi had never written so many love songs in her life. She read through them all, though, and knew that each one was simply fantasy. None of her words were true—they were what she dreamed, what she imagined, what she _wished_ could be true. She wanted to find the man she wrote about, to make her forget about everyone who never wanted her... but she knew that was a silly thing for her to waste her time dreaming about. Why would someone that great ever want boring Kelsi Nielsen, anyway?

It was hard for her to honestly believe that anyone would love her with half of the feeling that her lyrics held. Still, she found herself fantasizing more about a life other than the one she was living, one where she was happy, wanted, and loved.


	10. Chapter 10

CHAPTER TEN

Ryan got used to the idea of not being friends with Kelsi Nielsen, as much as he still wanted to be. It was the same way he ignored his usual longing to fit in. He had realized that Kelsi wasn't allowing herself to get close to people the same way his sister had been stopping him. He wasn't sure why, but he figured she must have her reasons for doing so.

So he made himself forget about Kelsi as much as possible. Still, he found himself thinking about her over the summer—almost missing her. He had never worried so much about one person before. The amount he thought about Kelsi over his summer days at his family's country club began to worry him. Maybe Sharpay had been right about Kelsi distracting him; he just couldn't seem to forget about her. He threw himself into worrying about the club's talent show and trying to ignore his sister's intellectually challenged friends as best as possible, but as hard as he tried to avoid it, his thoughts always came back to her.

School started again all too soon. They would be juniors. Only one more year until they graduated. Ryan found that he was most looking forward to school so that he could see Kelsi again. He wondered how she was doing over their vacation.

Kelsi's break hadn't been as leisurely as Ryan's. Ryan got to spend every day at a fancy country club, being waited on hand and foot even with his sister around. He was treated respect by the people around him, except for Sharpay, and he actually had a fairly good time over his vacation. Kelsi spent every day looking desperately for excuses to get out of the house for a while.

Kelsi had spent as much time as possible at the book store or even just walking around. She couldn't stand being home with her mother every day while her father was at work. She didn't have any friends in Albuquerque, so she didn't have anyone to spend time with. She just wrote a lot of music and tried to focus on anything but how much longer summer was. She didn't think the break could end soon enough. She was relieved to finally be back at East High, despite her lack of friends.

She found that nothing had changed when she got to homeroom on her first morning back. Ryan and Sharpay still sat together on the far side of the room, the jocks still sat talking excitedly about their upcoming season, and Kelsi was still invisible.

Ryan seemed to feel that a lot had changed, particularly when looking at Kelsi. Had she gotten even prettier over the summer? He didn't think it was possible. Her hair was straighter this year and a little shorter. He didn't see how every guy in the room wasn't staring at her. She was already hard at work on another song—he wondered when he'd be able to hear one. The moment she had entered the room, all of the effort Ryan had put into forgetting about Kelsi died away. It had been no use, because he still smiled inside when he saw her. It took him a moment to realize he was checking her out—not that he could help himself. She had, well, _grown_ over the summer, and by that he didn't mean she had gotten taller. Ryan shook his head.

It wouldn't help him to forget about her if he was staring at her constantly. He looked around to the others in the room. Taylor McKessie, who was the brainiest girl in their grade, was rolling her eyes at Chad Danforth and Zeke Baylor as Chad tried to make a basket in the trashcan and Zeke worked to stop him. Ryan couldn't help but agree that the Wildcats were pretty immature, but they were at least having fun, and for that, he envied them, just as he always had. He sighed and turned away.

He focused instead on wondering what the winter musical would be for that year. Anything to stop thinking of Kelsi.


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's Note: **This is my longest chapter so far! There was a lot to cram in—basically the entire beginning of the year and the beginning of the first movie takes place in this chapter. I also really wanted to focus on how Kelsi felt after Ryan and Sharpay performed their version of What I've Been Looking For.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

That year turned out to be exactly like the last... That is, until after winter break. Before they left for Christmas vacation, Kelsi had presented Ms. Darbus with some of her compositions and asked if she would use them for the winter musical. Ms. Darbus was absolutely delighted to have a student submit an original idea for their production, and agreed immediately. Kelsi had been nervous to show Ms. Darbus her ideas—her grandmother was the only person who had ever seen Kelsi's songs, but Ms. D loved them. Ms. Darbus almost reminded Kelsi of her grandmother. She felt strangely comfortable around the eccentric teacher.

When they returned from winter break, they'd be holding sign-ups for the auditions, and Ms. Darbus would be letting Kelsi help her cast the roles of the main characters. Kelsi knew she would cast Ryan and Sharpay—they were the only ones with real talent. She was anxious to hear Ryan sing one of her songs—a song that had been inspired by him, or rather, the version of Ryan she had composed in her head that she had allowed herself to become so absorbed in... She was pathetic, sometimes.

She was surprised to see a new girl when they returned, though. The girl was Spanish, with brown eyes and long brown hair. She was pretty, and she caught Troy Bolton's attention, which meant Sharpay hated her immediately. Troy took out his cell phone and called the girl—how did he have her number? Kelsi wondered if anyone else noticed, but she doubted it. When the girl's phone went off, Ryan and Sharpay went to check their own. Ms. Darbus confiscated both of their phones, along with Troy's and the new girl's, giving them all detention after school to paint sets for the upcoming musical. Even Chad Danforth got detention for trying to get Troy out of detention, and when Taylor McKessie commented, she got detention as well.

Kelsi didn't worry much about the new girl. She was probably just another airhead or smart girl who she would never talk to.

What Kelsi did worry about was free period the next day. She was anxious to hear people singing her music. She stood on stage with Ms. Darbus as she addressed those wishing to audition. She saw Ryan and Sharpay sitting in the auditorium, knowing they had the leading roles in the bag. Ms. Darbus mentioned that the composer, Kelsi, would be available for rehearsals prior to callbacks. Ryan's mouth fell open slightly. The show had been composed by Kelsi? She had written the song he was about to perform? He felt his heart sunk. Sharpay had changed the song. She had gotten their rehearsal pianist to increase the tempo. Ryan had thought the song was amazing in its original format, but Sharpay disagreed, and again, he lost.

As he eyed the little composer on stage, he wished he had fought a little harder for Sharpay to keep the song as it was.

Then again, he didn't think he could butcher the song any more than the others who auditioned did. It was pretty awful to watch. Half of the singers were flat, there was a dancer who ran off of the stage and crashed, there were interpretive dancers, there was a boy who didn't know the words, there was an opera singer, and one girl even got stage fright and ran away. Kelsi was about to give up. Her show was going to be a failure, all because no one could sing her stupid songs. Her heart sunk.

Finally, Sharpay and Ryan took the stage. "Oh, what key?" Kelsi asked Ryan as he went to take his place with his sister.

"Oh, we had out rehearsal pianist do an arrangement," he told her, smiling to try to apologize. Kelsi sunk back into her seat.

"Oh," she said. Of course, her music hadn't been good enough, just like she wasn't good enough. Sharpay and Ryan didn't want to perform her music the way it was written. Ryan had changed the song that she had written about him. She felt awful.

That wasn't to say that he didn't sing it beautifully. She was impressed by his voice, she just wished they hadn't stripped away the power and emotion of the song to make it catchier and easier to dance to. It was meant to be a beautiful love song, and the message of the lyrics was completely lost in Ryan and Sharpay's upbeat, flashy performance of the show.

She clapped at the end of the song, not wanting them to think she hated them for changing the song, although a part of her sincerely did. That song had been so important to her—that song was her entire romantic dream, and it had been destroyed. She tried to talk to Sharpay about it, but all Sharpay did was yell at her. She felt like she was thrown back in time, getting yelled at by the only people who were supposed to love her always. She was afraid of Sharpay, because Sharpay could make her feel that bad in a way no one else really had since she'd moved to Albuquerque. For the first time in her life, she found herself wanting to give up on music. If Sharpay really thought it was that awful, then what was the point? Kelsi's entire life was just another failure.

What was perhaps even worse than one crushed dream was realizing that her fears about Ryan had been true. He really wasn't the amazing guy she had dreamed about. He was just Sharpay's brother... the one who had changed her song, and by doing so, had changed her. Auditions ended and Kelsi felt worse than she had in a very long time. Ryan could only guess why.

He felt guilty as he followed his sister out of the auditorium. He wished he had stopped to apologize—to compliment the song, even, but no, he hadn't been able to, because his lovely sister was too busy yelling at Kelsi and trashing her hard work.

Kelsi's song had been beautiful and perfect the way it was. The lyrics were amazing and strong, and almost described the way Ryan felt when he looked at Kelsi. Knowing that Kelsi was the one who wrote it made it even better, somehow.

Kelsi never wanted to write another song again. Everyone else had left the auditorium when the new girl, Gabriella Montez, said that she wanted to audition. Ms. Darbus said that it was too late, despite Troy Bolton's offer to accompany her. Ms. Darbus left and Kelsi got up to gather her things. She tripped, scattering all of her scores across the stage—as if the day couldn't get any worse. She was surprised when Troy Bolton started to help her pick up her things. He even encouraged her—he complimented her song, and told her that she shouldn't be afraid of Ryan and Sharpay. He told her that it was her show, and that she was like the playmaker in basketball. She was the one who made everyone else look good. Kelsi felt a little better as Troy told her he looked forward to hearing the rest of the show. Kelsi's heart glowed as she realized why so many girls wanted Troy Bolton.

He was cute—something about the dark hair and the light blue eyes, his charming smile and his charisma... He was nice, and he cared about other people. Kelsi felt that he was a genuinely good guy, despite her past prejudices against men.

She offered to show him and Gabriella how the duet was supposed to sound. She sat at the piano and showed them the music as she played. Troy started singing, and Kelsi thought his voice was amazing. It wasn't perfect, like Ryan's, but it was beautiful. She helped Gabriella join in, and was surprised by how effortlessly beautiful her voice was. It wasn't overdone like Sharpay's—it was just right. The way they sung the duet together was perfect. They had the right chemistry, and they performed it just as Kelsi had imagined it when she wrote it. More than that, they respected the song in its original version and still made it great.

They were all surprised when Ms. Darbus appeared and told the pair that they had a callback. She told Kelsi to help them work on the duet from the second act—another one of her personal favorites that had been inspired by her make-believe Ryan. As much as she loved Ryan's voice and his dancing, she couldn't forgive him for what he and his sister did to her music. Troy and Gabriella gave her hope that maybe, just maybe, something she did would turn out right for a change. Kelsi finally had hope.


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's Note:** You have to admit, it really does seem like Kelsi is crushing on Troy before they establish that brother/sister relationship later on.

CHAPTER TWELVE

Ryan couldn't believe it. Never in his life had he dealt with _callbacks_. When had Troy Bolton and that new girl even auditioned? He and Sharpay were both outraged. They talked about it all through lunch. Kelsi, as usual, didn't say a word. Sharpay decided they had to put Troy and Gabriella back in their places. Troy was a basketball guy, and Gabriella was a brainy girl. They didn't belong in drama club—that was their territory. He couldn't help but feel like Kelsi was glad that Troy and Gabriella got callbacks. He didn't blame her for being mad at them about changing her song. He still felt bad about the whole thing.

Still, drama club was everything to him. Theater was his life, and if he wanted to get into Julliard, he needed as many leading roles as possible. He didn't want to sing backup for the popular Troy Bolton. Troy already owned most of the school; did he really have to take the only thing Ryan had to himself? Ryan always felt unique for his talents, but apparently Troy was better than him at singing now, too. Ryan found himself hating Troy more by the minute, unlike Kelsi, who, as she hated Ryan and Sharpay more by the minute, was growing an increasing admiration for the school's basketball all-star. Secretly, of course.

The next few weeks she felt farther away from Ryan than ever. Sure, they hadn't talked much before, but now it was like they were enemies. She always seemed to catch him and his sister as they plotted against Troy and Gabriella, and she found herself liking him less and less. She almost thought he really was different than other guys, but he kept reminding her that guys were scummy. Even the ones who seemed the nicest turned out to be schemers and manipulators. Kelsi was disappointed.

She had fun practicing with Troy and Gabriella for the musical. In fact, she almost felt like she had friends. She trusted their character, and as jealous as she was of Gabriella for stealing Troy's attention, she had to admit that the two were a cute match. They rekindled her faith in love, just as they had saved her hope that she was finally doing something right with her life.


	13. Chapter 13

HAPTER THIRTEEN

They had pulled it off. Gabriella and Troy got the roles, and Kelsi was elated. Ryan didn't really understand it. Sure, Troy and Gabriella were good, but he had never seen Kelsi act that way. She was the last one in the auditorium after the callbacks, as usual. He went up to the piano, where she was gathering her things with a small smile on her face.

"What is it about them?" he asked her. She was surprised to hear his voice, and confused by the question. He shook his head. "Kelsi, I tried to talk to you quite a few times last year, and you just brushed me off, but when it's Troy and Gabriella..."

"It's a lot of things," Kelsi said. "Troy's a nice guy, Gabriella's a nice girl... and they didn't change my song." Ryan winced.

"I deserved that one. For the record, I told Sharpay I liked it the way it was, and I'm sorry for the way we performed it. It was your song, and it was wrong of us, well, Shar, to think that she could make it better. It was already perfect." Kelsi found herself falling back into the Ryan trap. "I'm a nice guy too, you know," he told her. "I'm not stupid—I know my sister isn't the nicest person. I've spent all of high school and even middle school without friends because of her, but I'm _not_ Sharpay."

"You have to understand, Ryan," she sighed, "there are a lot of reasons why I don't really trust people, and because of my trust issues, you probably won't ever know them. I never planned on worrying about friends when I moved here. Actually, friends were the last thing I wanted when I got here. From my experience, relationships, even friendships, just seem to cause more trouble. Troy and Gabriella, well, they respected my music, and so I gave them a chance." Ryan just frowned.

"I guess I understand," he sighed. "I'll see you around, Kelsi." He left, realizing that once again, Sharpay had ruined a chance at friendship. Worse was, after seeing her stand up to Sharpay and finally start to come out of her shell, Ryan only liked her more.

Slowly, after the callbacks, Kelsi became accepted into the Wildcats group. She didn't let them know much about her personal life, of course, but she did become friends with them, in a sense. She found herself really enjoying their company. It wasn't just Troy and Gabriella anymore—it was Chad and Taylor and Zeke and Martha and Jason... She felt accepted. She felt, well, wanted.

At the basketball game that had been rescheduled, Ryan found himself envying Kelsi's new friends, and wishing that he could be one of them. He had tried to be friends with Kelsi and failed, and now all of the Wildcats had her and he was still alone.

The Wildcats won, of course, and Jason Cross went up behind Kelsi, helping her shoot a basket with the game ball and letting her hair down. He asked her if she'd be his date to the after party. Kelsi was hesitant. She still didn't trust guys, but from her experience, Jason Cross was clueless and simple. He was a nice guy who wouldn't cause a lot of drama, and Kelsi thought it would be safe to say yes. Jason smiled and kissed her cheek, taking her hand as they left to go to Troy's for the party.

Ryan felt a new form of envy rising in his chest as he watched the girl of his dreams leave with someone else.


	14. Chapter 14

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Ryan hadn't been quite the same since he first saw Kelsi and Jason together. He hated seeing Jason around at the musical rehearsals and having him hang by Kelsi's locker, which was near Sharpay's, so he always had to bear witness to Jason's repulsive flirting. It soon became evident that Kelsi and Jason weren't going to break up any time soon, and Ryan couldn't understand... He had tried _so hard_ to become friends with Kelsi. He had spent so much effort on trying to talk to her when no one else could be bothered to, and trying to get to know her.

He guessed he had been wrong when he thought she was different and wouldn't go for the basketball type. Ryan sighed. Did she have to go for the dumbest guy on the team? He felt insulted that she would choose Jason over him, but he also wasn't surprised. Of course, all girls wanted the athlete, not the dancer. Maybe he shouldn't have given up baseball when his sister told him to... Maybe then Kelsi would want him, and not that idiot Jason.

This stupor Ryan found himself in did not escape the notice of his sister. "Would you just get over it already?" she demanded. It was nearing the end of the school year, and she didn't want to spend the entire summer with her brother moping around over some girl. "I told you she wasn't worth the trouble. Stop worrying about her—I thought you had gotten over that already."

"Shut up, Shar. You're allowed to fawn over Troy Bolton, and I'm not allowed to even talk to Kelsi. Maybe if I was..."

"You tried talking to her, remember? She wasn't interested then. It's not _my_ fault that she has bad taste. We're going to be at Lava Springs all summer _without her_, and you need to start realizing that. You can't freak out over this for the next two months. It's not worth it." Ryan groaned. They had been in their kitchen when this conversation broke out.

"Sharpay, you don't understand," he told her. She raised her eyebrows.

"Oh? Well enlighten me then, dear brother," she said sarcastically. Ryan hesitated.

"Kelsi isn't like everyone else. I don't _want_ to get over her. I don't even know exactly what it is about her, but I _really_ like her, Shar, so can you please just lay off? I'm not like you—if you don't get Troy, you have Zeke, who would do anything for you in a heartbeat if you gave him a chance. No one even likes me. Half of the girls in school think I'm gay, anyway. Kelsi actually gets me, and I don't think I'm going to find anyone else who understands me the way she does." Sharpay frowned.

"They do not think you're gay," she said. He sighed. Had she missed the rest of what he said?

"Yeah, they do, not that I like any of them, anyway..." Sharpay sighed.

"If you really like her that much, Ryan, I'm going to help you out—because I love you, and I want you to be happy, not because I like Kelsi or because I think she deserves you." Ryan was confused as to what his sister was planning.

He decided that, before his sister could do any damage, he would talk to Kelsi himself. He found her at lunch one day. She had stopped sitting with the drama club and now sat with her new Wildcat friends, as Jason hung his arm around her shoulders and whispered in her ear... Ryan was unbelievably jealous, and he hated that Jason Cross of all people could make him feel that way. So he caught Kelsi in the line as she got up to buy a drink. "Hey," he said.

"Oh, hi Ryan," she said awkwardly. They hadn't really talked in a while. He had missed hearing her speak to him.

"...Why them, Kelsi?" he asked. She looked confused. "I spent a year and a half trying to reach out to you and to talk to you and to be your friend, and you would hardly give me the time of day. One day I turn around and you're a Wildcat—why?"

"It's complicated," she said. "I wasn't planning on making friends when I moved here, Ryan, I told you that. I didn't want to be close to anyone. Still, I thought you were a really great guy and I always imagined we'd eventually be friends... until you changed my song." Ryan winced. "I know it was probably more of your sister's doing, but Ryan, that crushed me. I don't think you have any idea how much. That song... that song out of all of the ones I've written so far, meant more to me than anything. You took something really important to me and butchered it and stripped the meaning away... Troy and Gabriella were always nice to me, and Troy taught me how to stand up for myself... and they didn't change my song. That's why I gave them a chance."

"I'm sorry," Ryan said. "I tried to get her not to, I swear, but you know Sharpay..." Kelsi nodded slowly.

"Maybe one day things will change," she said. "After everything I've seen happen this year, though, I just... I really don't know if I can ever trust you. You tried to sabotage Troy and Gabriella just so you could get a leading role. The sad thing is, if you didn't try so hard to have a flashy performance, you would've gotten it, hands down. You're the most talented person in the school, Ryan, I'm not going to deny that, but you're not going to get anywhere unless you pull away from your sister enough to make your own decisions once in a while." With that, she turned and walked away. It was strange to Ryan that this had been their longest conversation, and although she had sort of told him off, Ryan only found himself liking her more.

A bittersweet feeling filled him as he watched her walk back over to sit with Jason, and he knew she was right.


	15. Chapter 15

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Kelsi was at her locker on the last day of school, listening to Sharpay's obnoxious impersonation of Gabriella. She noticed Ryan leaning against the locker next to hers, and for some reason kind of liked it. She still had her perfect image of Ryan in her mind, and she felt awful about the things she had said to him, but for some reason, he didn't seem to mind.

"Oh, come here, Kelsi," Sharpay said, catching Kelsi off guard. She touched Kelsi's shoulder. "I have a summer job for you—at our country club. Our rehearsal pianist is evidently moving." She turned back to look at her reflection in her locker mirror.

"Or hiding," Kelsi muttered, wondering whether or not it would be a good thing to have a summer job with Ryan and Sharpay.

"Pardon?" Sharpay asked, having not even noticed what Kelsi had said. Ryan did, though, and he was smiling.

"Sounds great," Kelsi replied cheerfully before returning to her locker. A smile grew on Ryan's face.

"Cheer up, Shar. It's summer—we can do whatever we want to. Everything changes," he told his sister cheerfully.

"Ryan, who's the absolute primo boy at East High?" Sharpay asked, ignoring his encouragement.

"I'd say uh Troy Bolton pretty much has that category locked up, don't you think?"

"And East High's primo girl?" Sharpay asked expectantly. Kelsi noticed Ryan look past her, as if he was thinking about it. She shoved him. "Just answer the question!" she snapped.

"Gosh, uh—you?" he replied sarcastically. Sharpay didn't seem to notice his lack of sincerity.

"Troy, Sharpay. Sharpay, Troy," she smiled, drifting off into a fantasy land where Gabriella didn't exist. "Sharpay..."

"Shar," Ryan snapped, trying to bring her back to reality. She looked at him in a huff.

"It just makes sense," she claimed, as if her being with Troy was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Evidently not to Troy," Ryan reminded her. She didn't seem bothered by that.

"But it's summer, Ry," she reminded him, putting on a pair of large, expensive sunglasses. "_Everything_ changes." She slammed her locker dramatically, causing Kelsi to jump. She stormed off and Ryan stopped to center himself, pushing back the irritation he had with his sister and reminding himself that he would have the summer with Kelsi.

The more she thought about it, the more Kelsi liked the idea of working at Lava Springs. She would undoubtedly get great pay, since she would be working at a fancy country club. She would get to see Ryan every day, and it would give her the chance go take a break from Jason. She loved the Wildcats, but really, she got tired of being around Jason all the time. He was annoying and the dumb things he said embarrassed her. She loved Chad and Zeke and Troy and Gabriella, but she really didn't feel like she fit in with the other girls too well. Taylor was too intense, and Martha, well, Kelsi wasn't Martha's biggest fan, but she put on a smile and acted like she loved her, anyway.

Kelsi decided that the main reason she didn't like Martha Cox was because she was so easily accepted into the Wildcats, and Kelsi still felt like an outsider. What's more is she felt like Martha was using her new friends for their popularity more than anything. She was completely changing thanks to her new friends, and not in a good way. Sure, she was losing weight, but she didn't care as much about school, ditched all of her old friends, and was set on becoming a cheerleader. She wanted popularity more than anything, and Kelsi thought it was a little pathetic. Still, she seemed to fit in more than Kelsi did.

A summer at Lava Springs sounded like it could be just what Kelsi needed. She'd have a source of income, an escape from Jason and from spending long days home with her drunk mother, and it gave her an excuse to spend time with Ryan. She had the feeling that this would be a very good summer, much better than the last.


	16. Chapter 16

**Author's Note: **Big thanks in this one to my first reviewer, krfan. I'll keep trying to do the characters justice. (:

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Ryan knew there had to be a twist. Of course, Sharpay wouldn't just give Kelsi the job to help Ryan out. Of course it wasn't only for his benefit, to do something nice by giving Ryan time alone with Kelsi, without Jason. She had done it as a part of her plot to get Troy to work at Lava Springs, too. What she wasn't counting on was Fulton hiring the rest of the Wildcats, too.

Sharpay was so surprised she screamed and fell into the pool. This wouldn't work out for either of them, because along with Troy and Kelsi were Gabriella and Jason. Their alone time would be ruined. Ryan felt his heart sink.

"Are you a member here?" Troy asked, surprised. Sharpay screamed, insulted, and climbed out of the pool.

"Actually, our parents own this place," Ryan said. The others looked surprised.

"RYAN!" Sharpay screeched. Ryan sighed and ran after her, shooting the Wildcats a sympathetic look. Jason and Kelsi were having their own conversation. Kelsi hadn't even noticed him. He sighed as he followed his drenched twin to Fulton's office.

Since their mother wouldn't let them fire the rest of the Wildcats, Sharpay instructed Fulton to make them want to quit. They spent days following the Wildcats around to get them in trouble. They got Gabriella in trouble for the picnic she and Troy were having on the golf course. Then, a few days later, Ryan stumbled across something...

Kelsi was playing the piano. She was practicing for the lady's luncheon and Troy and Gabriella went in to talk to her. Ryan was hiding outside the door, listening. Kelsi was encouraging them to sing in the club talent show, but Troy denied. Kelsi played the song she had written for them, and Ryan fell in love with it. _You are the music in me..._ It described perfectly how Ryan felt about Kelsi, how he could be himself around her, how unreal it felt when they were together, the way her music spoke to him and how he hoped to speak to her through his performances...

Soon the other Wildcats joined in, and Ryan knew that they would win the talent show with a song that amazing.

"Golden Throat, this is Jazz Square," he said into the walkie-talkie his sister insisted he carry, "we have a problem."

Ryan went to meet Sharpay in the spa, where she was getting pampered with their mother. "Now, it's an amazing song, but Kelsi didn't write it for us," Ryan said. "Hi, Mom," he added pleasantly. He'd always gotten along well with his mother.

"Seaweed scrub, darling?" Derby suggested.

"Maybe later," Ryan smiled, taking a cucumber and biting into it.

"Ryan, it might be wonderful if Troy participates in our talent show," Sharpay mused.

"_What_?" Ryan asked in disbelief. "If he sings with Gabriella then our whole show will be the Troy and Gabriella show."

"Oh, I'm not certain that Gabriella is best suited to help Troy realize his potential here at Lava Springs," Sharpay said confidently. Ryan could tell she was planning something already. "Mommy, what time does Daddy get here?"

"We tee off at noon," Derby said. "Join us?" Sharpay removed the cucumbers from her eyes and smiled.

"Love to." Ryan knew that whatever Sharpay had in mind wouldn't be good.

They went to meet their parents on the golf course that afternoon. Sharpay had called Fulton up and requested Troy and Chad as their caddies. Ryan knew what she was planning before she even explained it to him. Troy was worried about getting a scholarship, and their father was on the board of directors for the University of Albuquerque. Sharpay would con Troy into helping her, and in exchange, she'd help him get a scholarship to U of A. It was genius, but Ryan didn't think it was fair to try to trick someone into liking you.

It became more obvious that Sharpay was only interested in helping herself as the game went on. Sharpay boasted about Troy's golf skills and convinced their father to let Troy play a hole. She proceeded to drag Troy to sit in her golf cart with her, completely ignoring her brother and leaving him alone to drag his clubs. Once again, everything was about Sharpay and her never-ending quest to steal the attention of the basketball star.

It was the longest game of golf Ryan had ever had to endure. He was glad when it was time for them to go inside and get ready for dinner. At least during dinner, he would be in the same room as Kelsi. He would get to zone out Sharpay's manipulation and selfishness and just lose himself as Kelsi's fingers danced across the piano keys. He smiled and went to change to meet his parents and their friends.


	17. Chapter 17

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Kelsi sat in the dining hall beginning her evening of playing crappy mood music for the rich families that went to eat. "Hey." She looked up to see Ryan. She gave him a small smile, feeling her heart warm at his presence.

"Hey," she said. "What're you doing here?" He shrugged, looking bored.

"I'm supposed to be having dinner with my family and some of my dad's friends. My sister is making Troy have dinner with us, apparently." Ryan rolled his eyes and Kelsi laughed a little, her hands still dancing over the keys.

"That sounds like it'll be fun for him. I'd be afraid to even meet your parents, after meeting your sister..."

"Oh, my parents are nothing like her, actually," Ryan said. "My mom is kind of ditzy, I guess. She's simple, and she adores me, but she still treats us like we're kids a lot. My dad does too, actually. He's a big-shot business man so everything is first class for him. He's spoiled Shar our entire lives, which is part of why she is the way she is. He just complains that I don't wear my hats straight when I see him," he laughed a little and shook his head. "They're friendly, though... How are you liking your new job? I know it hasn't exactly been easy so far, but..."

"It's nice," Kelsi said. "Fulton is kind of scary, and I don't get to play the most exciting music, but I get to play music, I adore this piano, and I get to see my friends... and you," she added with a small smile. "You're like a different person when your sister isn't around, huh?" she asked. Ryan shrugged and sighed.

"Sharpay doesn't exactly give me the most freedom. I'm sure you've noticed that." Kelsi nodded. "She's really upset that everyone got jobs here. She only really wanted them to hire Troy. The other Wildcats showing up didn't make her too happy."

"What about me? I got the job before Troy did," Kelsi added. Ryan shrugged a little.

"We needed a pianist, and you're the best one we know. How could we pass up on hiring you?" Kelsi smiled a little.

"Ryan," someone called. Ryan turned to see his mother walking in. She approached where he stood at the piano.

"Hello, dear," she said to Kelsi. "Duckie, is this one of your friends from school?" Ryan nodded.

"Yeah, this is Kelsi Nielsen. She's the pianist for the drama club, and the composed the music for the winter musical."

"Well it's a pleasure to meet you," Derby smiled pleasantly. "I'm Derby Evans—Ryan and Sharpay's mother."

"It's nice to meet you," Kelsi smiled back nervously. "I'd shake your hand, but they're a bit occupied," she explained, nodding towards the piano. Derby laughed lightly. Kelsi wished her mother was more like Ryan's.

"I understand. Your father will be here any moment, Duckie. You should come sit down soon, before your sister arrives."

"Alright," Ryan said. His mom walked away and Kelsi tried to hide her smile. "Duckie is just a nickname—I told you she still treats me like a kid," he explained quickly. "Don't even laugh, Kels, it's not funny."

"No, it's cute," Kelsi insisted. "My parents can't stand me—I'd rather they be more like yours," she admitted.

"I'm sure you're exaggerating," Ryan said. Kelsi raised her eyebrows and shook her head.

"You don't know my parents..." she said. "Anyway, you'd better go, before the princess arrives and catches us talking."

"Yeah... I'll catch you later, Kels," Ryan smiled lightly. Kelsi nodded and Ryan went to join his mother at a table. Kelsi smiled to herself. Maybe her perfect image of Ryan wasn't as far off as she thought. She lost herself in thoughts of the blond dancer until a certain waiter walked up behind her with a smile on his face.

"Hey, babe," Jason said. "We got stuck waiting on the Evans' group. Totally lame. I just thought I'd come visit you." He quickly leaned over and kissed her. He smiled a little before heading back to the kitchen with the family's orders. Kelsi couldn't be sure, but she thought she saw Ryan watching from across the room. Her stomach turned, but she knew that she was rightfully Jason's girlfriend, not Ryan's, no matter what her daydreams portrayed.


	18. Chapter 18

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Sharpay and Ryan were rehearsing their song for the talent show, Humuhumunukunukuapuaa. Ryan wasn't a fan of the idea of performing something like that at first, but then he realized that this song would allow him to have his chance in the spotlight. He couldn't wait. He even bought a tiki warrior outfit so that he could transform from the ugly fish into a gorgeous prince. He would have his own part to sing without being in the background for his sister.

Sharpay had planned for Troy to join the act, too, so she made him watch their rehearsal. Ryan was running around trying to make everything work right and finally got his time to shine. He stepped out of the fish costume, only to find Sharpay teaching Troy the part of the prince. Ryan looked at them, then to Sharpay's friends. "I thought I...?" They shook their heads and tried to comfort him. That was it. Troy Bolton had stolen Ryan's thunder for the last time. He huffed, ready to rip Troy's head off as he finished the song. Sharpay went to talk to her friends as Ryan reclaimed his crown and left. It wasn't fair.

He tried to avoid his sister for a while after that. She had completely betrayed him. He obviously wasn't worth anything in Sharpay's world. They were twins, and the thought Troy was more important than her own brother. He found himself wandering into the rehearsal space where Kelsi sat at the piano. He smiled a little, comforted by the sight of her.

"Hey," he said. She looked up, surprised by his presence, and almost blushed.

"Hi," she said. "I'm surprised you aren't off rehearsing with your sister right now," she admitted. Ryan shrugged.

"I'm kind of mad at her right now, actually," he said. "What were you just playing?" Kelsi shrugged, smiling a little.

"Just a song I've been working on... I have so many ideas for the talent show—it isn't easy trying to teach the Wildcats how to organize themselves off the basketball court, though." She started showing him some of her ideas and explaining how it all looked in her head. Ryan smiled, knowing that it would be an amazing show.

"It sounds great, Kels. I wish Shar would do stuff like that..." Kelsi gave him a sympathetic smile as the Queen Bee herself strolled in and over to the piano. Ryan turned to look at her, now in a great mood from his time with Kelsi.

"Hey, Kelsi's got some great new ideas to spice up the talent show," he said.

"I'm thrilled," Sharpay replied, not sounding thrilled at all, rooting through Kelsi's music. "That new duet that Troy and Gabriella sing—I need it," she told Kelsi. Kelsi's jaw dropped. Was she being serious?

"Actually, it's not available," Kelsi said. She wasn't about to let Sharpay ruin another one of her songs.

"Repeat?" Sharpay asked rudely. Kelsi snatched the music before Sharpay had the chance to grab it.

"It's something I wrote for Troy in Gabriella in case they decided to..." Sharpay glared at her.

"You're an employee, not a fairy godmother." Ryan looked at her in disbelief. "Let's have it." Sharpay ripped the music from Kelsi's grasp and looked it over. "Transpose it into my key. Troy and I will be doing the talent show. Oh, and write up the tempo. We'll need to keep people awake." Kelsi couldn't believe Sharpay would do that to her again.

"What about our song?" Ryan asked, stunned. "What about Humuhumu?"

"Change in plans," Sharpay shrugged pleasantly, as if it wasn't a big deal to leave her brother out in the cold.

"What am I supposed to do with my tiki warrior outfit?!" Ryan asked, furious.

"Save it for Halloween, go to a luau, sell it online—I don't know. In the meantime, keep an eye on those Wildcats. If they plan on being in the show—which I doubt once they hear about Troy and me—I don't want any surprises. Oh, and don't worry, I'll find a song for you somewhere in the show... or the next show," she said, brushing off her brother's shoulders.

"Really?" Ryan asked sarcastically. Sharpay nodded. "Don't strain yourself, slick," he muttered, walking out. He could swear that as he left he heard a frustrated banging of keys on the piano. He knew exactly how Kelsi felt.


	19. Chapter 19

**Author's Note: **Ah, and here we play the jealousy game, and a little Jelsi action? So many awkward love triangles seemed to take place in the HSM2 time period, in my eyes. (Ryelsi, Ryella, Jelsi, Jartha, Troyella, Troypay, Zekepay...)

CHAPTER NINETEEN

"Hey Gabriella," Kelsi said, catching her as they clocked out.

"Yeah?" Gabriella asked. "What's up, Kelsi?" Kelsi bit her lip, thinking of how to propose her idea.

"Troy is doing the talent show with Sharpay, and that means Ryan doesn't have a place in the show. I think we should ask him to choreograph for us. He can do amazing things with putting shows together—it's not always as flashy as Sharpay's performances are. Ryan's really talented, and I think with his help, the show could be great. His sister just kind of tossed him out and I think it would mean a lot to him..." Gabriella smiled.

"That's a great idea, Kelsi. I'm gonna go meet up with Taylor, but I'll meet you at the baseball game, alright?" Kelsi nodded. She went to go down to the baseball field. She was waiting with Martha for the others when Gabriella and Taylor appeared with a golf cart. She was surprised to see Ryan sitting in the back. She and Martha chased the cart over to home plate.

"What did Fulton send you out here to spy on us?" Chad asked as Ryan stepped out of the cart.

"Nah, my sister did. She thinks you guys are going to upstage her talent show," Ryan admitted.

"Oh, no worries. We were gonna do the show but then Troy bailed on us, so whatever," Zeke laughed.

"What do you mean whatever?" Gabriella asked. "It's our summer, remember? I thought we agreed that doing the show would be fun!" she encouraged. The others weren't so easily convinced, but the girls agreed.

"Well I think so," Martha chimed. Kelsi felt the urge to roll her eyes, but refrained herself.

"Me too," Taylor said supportively. Kelsi hoped they'd convince the others.

"I don't think so," Zeke said, shaking his head. Kelsi felt disheartened by his resistance.

"Yeah, we don't know how to put together a show," Jason agreed.

"No, but he does," Gabriella said, putting a hand on Ryan's shoulder. Kelsi felt envy rise in her. She wanted to be the one to ask Ryan for help. She knew Ryan better. She wanted him to know that it had been her idea, and not Gabriella's. "With a real director putting it together, it could be great. Have the employees ever won a Star Dazzle award?" she asked Ryan.

"Hey now..." he said, looking down. He knew that they hadn't, and didn't want to admit it.

"I know what you can do, Ryan, so why not do it for us?" Gabriella asked. Kelsi was furious with the girl for stealing her idea.

"If you wanna play ball, then grab a mitt, but I don't dance," Chad said.

"You don't think dancing takes some game?" Ryan asked smugly. Chad smirked.

"You got game?" he asked. Ryan shrugged, shifting a little and nodding.

"A little," he said. Chad nodded and the bat was thrown up. He grabbed it, and Ryan grabbed above him. They kept stacking their hands until Ryan's landed on top. The others were surprised by his confidence. Ryan took the pitcher's ball and headed to the mound while the others went into the stands to watch the game progress.

The Wildcats won. If Ryan had gotten Chad out, his team would've won. Even though he lost, he convinced the others to do the show. Kelsi was excited to do the show with Ryan. They headed over to the tables to eat. Ryan and Chad traded shirts and hats and were talking. Kelsi was glad to see them bonding. She had always felt bad because Ryan didn't really have friends.

Still, she felt envy boil in her stomach as Gabriella went over to congratulate Ryan. Jason put an arm around her, bringing her away from her dark thoughts. She just reminded herself that this was the real Ryan, not her imaginary perfect man.

The group went back to Gabriella's house, Ryan included. Gabriella's mom had made brownies. Kelsi sat with Jason, watching Ryan flirt with Gabriella, feeling her heart break. She knew it shouldn't affect her, but she had become really invested in who she thought Ryan was. She didn't want to like one person so much. She didn't want to give Ryan the ability to hurt her, but he was, every second he spent laughing and flirting with Gabriella. Two could play at that game.

She had never really tried to flirt with Jason before, but there was a first time for everything. "You okay?" Jason asked.

"Yeah," Kelsi smiled. "I'm just thinking... I'm really glad you're doing the show, Jase." She kissed his cheek. "It means a lot to me." She paused and kissed him softly on the lips. She didn't like being romantic, especially in public. Jason was surprised, but didn't hesitate in kissing her back.


	20. Chapter 20

CHAPTER TWENTY

"Damn," Ryan heard Chad say. He followed Chad's gaze to see Kelsi and Jason making out. His stomach churned. Sure, he was starting to develop a small crush on Gabriella, but that didn't change the way he felt about Kelsi. He knew she and Jason were together, but he had never seen them act like that. He wished he was the one in Jason's position, and felt his heart ache.

He didn't understand what she saw in him. He didn't understand how all the girls he liked seemed to like someone else. He didn't understand why Kelsi wouldn't give him a chance. He wanted to be with Kelsi, and she was with Jason. He wanted to get to know Gabriella, but she was with Troy. Ryan had the worst luck in the world when it came to girls.

He tried to distract himself by talking to Gabriella, but every time he turned around he saw Kelsi and Jason. She was laughing and he was smiling. They would whisper to each other and Ryan had never felt worse about himself.

Despite his reminder that the girl he was crazy about was with someone else, Ryan had new friends. He found he really got along with Chad Danforth and Gabriella especially. Even Zeke seemed to like him. He wasn't sure about Taylor and Martha and Jason as much, but Ryan was starting to feel included in the Wildcats, and the prospect of finally having friends meant the world to him. He had been lonely for so long that finally being accepted was like a dream come true.

It was all thanks to Gabriella Montez, the girl who had appeared out of nowhere and turned all of their lives upside down.

Ryan couldn't help but be envious of Troy. His girlfriend was pretty incredible. She was beautiful, had an amazing voice, was smart and friendly and wasn't afraid to stand up for herself. Despite how much his sister hated her, Ryan was eternally grateful for Gabriella and all that she had brought to East High.

"This has been great, but I have to get going," Ryan said. "Kelsi, can we meet up to work on ideas tomorrow?" he asked.

"Yeah, sounds good," Kelsi said, still tangled up in Jason's arms. Ryan gave her a small smile.

"Alright. Gabriella, thanks for everything. I'm really looking forward to the show. Mrs. Montez, thank you for the brownies. Everyone else, I'll see you tomorrow at the club." They all said goodbye to Ryan and he headed home.

He knew his sister would be furious with him, but he didn't care. She was doing her own thing, and he would, too. One game of baseball had changed everything. He would have to avoid Sharpay so she wouldn't find out about what they were planning—she'd be enraged to find the Wildcats learning Ryan's choreography and singing and dancing to one of Kelsi's amazing songs.

Ryan felt his heart glow. He wondered what amazing song Kelsi would let them use. The idea of working with her on the show excited him, and he realized how confused he was. Who did he like, Kelsi or Gabriella? Did it matter either way? He clearly wasn't going to be with either of them any time soon. He sighed as he got to his house.

He went inside without bothering to see if anyone else was home, and, not bothering to check in with his sister, locked himself in his room. He went to take a shower, thinking about his day and the days to come. He thought about Kelsi and Jason and Troy and Gabriella and the Wildcats and his sister... He wondered when all of the drama would end, but doubted it ever would.

He got dressed and eventually fell asleep, anticipating the surprises the next day would hold.


	21. Chapter 21

**Author's Note: **Sorry it took so long to update! Thanks to everyone who reviewed, I really appreciate it, especially the ones who take the time to review more than once. I've been so busy with school and the fall play and everything else. Being a senior is difficult. So now, for your patience, I shall catch up by uploading in bulk yet again. I hope you enjoy. 3

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Kelsi was sitting at the piano when Ryan walked in. "Good morning," he said.

"Morning," Kelsi said. "I have a song done for the show... I really think we should try to get Troy to rejoin us." Ryan paused but nodded. He wasn't stupid. He knew Troy and Gabriella belonged together. He didn't know that the reason Kelsi said that was because she didn't want Ryan to like Gabriella anymore than he already did by dancing with her in the show. "Here's the song," she said, handing him the music. It was called Everyday, and while she could play it off as being about Troy, it was really about Ryan and how he was finally breaking away from his sister and being himself. It was about how she thought he was trying to be something he wasn't just so he could have success and win parts in musicals...

"Play it?" Ryan suggested. Kelsi started and Ryan sat on top of the piano. He sang along. "Once in a lifetime means there's no second chance, so I believe that you and me should grab it while we can..." Kelsi felt her heart swell as he sang her lyrics.

"Make it last forever and never give it back," she sang, smiling shyly at him.

"It's our turn and I'm loving where we're at," Ryan smiled. He loved the feeling of singing with Kelsi. It was refreshing.

"Because this moment's really all we have," they sang together. Kelsi knew she didn't have the best voice, but she didn't care. She was singing a duet about the guy of her dreams _with_ the guy of her dreams. In that moment, Jason didn't exist.

"Every day of our lives,"

"Wanna find you there, wanna hold on tight."

"Gonna run while we're young and keep the faith."

"Every day from right now, gonna use our voices and sing out loud."

"Take my hand, together we will celebrate everyday."

"It's beautiful," Ryan said. Kelsi smiled. "It's perfect for the situation, too. You're a genius, Kelsi." She blushed furiously.

"Thanks. It's not much, really," she said, feeling embarrassed. She wasn't used to compliments.

He read over the rest of the lyrics, shaking his head as he smiled. "Kels, this song is great. You have a real talent."

"Yeah, well, I just had to slaughter my last one for your sister..." She played the upbeat version of You Are the Music in Me. "I hate that she takes my most meaningful love songs and strips all of the passion out of them... I have to go to her rehearsal in a few minutes so I can watch my work be destroyed again," she muttered. She sighed and shook her head.

"I'm sorry," Ryan frowned. "I'm going to go work out some choreography, but I'll catch you later?" Kelsi nodded. He left and she went to go to the stage outside where Sharpay and Troy would be practicing for their act.

She left feeling destroyed. After Sharpay's lights and frills and sparks and whatever else, she didn't know how anyone would be able to appreciate her song. Her hands were sore and tired from playing the piano at such a rapid speed, and she hated how things were turning out for her—not only was her song ruined, but Troy wouldn't be a part of their act, and Ryan liked Gabriella. How could things get any worse? She sat at home that night and found her answer.

She had a letter sitting on the counter for her. Her parents obviously hadn't looked at it very carefully, or they would've thrown it out. It was from Jeremy. She felt her stomach turn. She didn't know what to do. She stared at it, her heart racing as she struggled to breathe. This was so much worse than the instant message he had sent her before, because this provided her with a horrible realization. He knew where she lived.

She panicked. She had no idea what to do or think so she did the first thing she thought of. She grabbed the letter and ran. She didn't exactly know where she was doing until she realized that she was in Jason's neighborhood. She and Jason had been together for months, and he had always been good to her. It couldn't hurt for her to trust him with her secret, even if she didn't tell him the whole thing... She went up and knocked on his door, ready to spill her guts.


	22. Chapter 22

**Author's Note:** I know, a short chapter. Fear not, there is more to come soon! Mucho more drama and what-not, also.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Ryan had noticed that Jason and Kelsi had been a lot closer lately. Despite this, something about them seemed off. Ryan had been working hard on their act for the talent show, and while he was dancing with Gabriella, Jason was dancing with Martha. Maybe he was imagining it, but he thought he saw Jason and Martha flirting a few times. Maybe he just wanted to Jason to end up being a jerk so that Kelsi would leave him. Still, Kelsi seemed to like Jason more than ever, and Ryan couldn't figure out why.

He and Kelsi had met a few times to work on the act and to plot how to get Troy back. They had just finished a day's rehearsals and despite Kelsi's new bond with Jason, she had spent the majority of the time distracted by how great Ryan's ass looked in the jeans he was wearing, rather than his usual slacks... She was brought out of her thoughts when the song ended and Ryan kissed Gabriella's hand. Feeling discouraged yet again, she quickly gathered her music and rushed out of the room.

Things had felt easier for her since the trusted Jason with the truth about Jeremy, but something still didn't feel right. She liked Jason, sure, but he wasn't Ryan. Kelsi didn't even think it was her crush on Ryan that made her relationship with Jason seem off. She felt like there was something else there that she didn't know about, and it was eating at her because she couldn't figure out for the life of her why things felt so weird between them all of a sudden, when she trusted him more than ever.

She shook this thought off as she passed Ryan and went to go back to work.

Ryan was surprised to see his sister there as the rehearsal ended. "I told you to keep an eye on them, not turn them into the cast of Grease!" she exclaimed. Ryan had been expecting her reaction, and smiled.

"Pretty cool, huh?" he asked. He was proud of the work he and Kelsi had done together on their act.

"Ryan, do you want us to lose the Star Dazzle award to a bunch of dishwashers?" Sharpay demanded.

"Us?" Ryan asked, amused that she would play that card after abandoning him. "Well, I guess that's showbiz," he said.

Sharpay looked shocked. "When did you become... one of them?" she asked.

"You know, I'll take that as a compliment," Ryan smiled. "But you and Troy have a good show, sis."

"Oh, we plan to," Sharpay said. Ryan shook his head and walked out, leaving his sister behind. There were only a few days left until the show, and he couldn't wait to see how it would all turn out. Kelsi's song was amazing; it would snap Troy back to his senses for sure. The Wildcats were all having fun, and Ryan really felt accepted into their group. This had been the best summer of his life so far, even if he didn't get to spend it alone with Kelsi the way he had originally planned.

He just hoped nothing would happen to mess things up for him.


	23. Chapter 23

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Fulton ordered all junior staffers to work on show night. That meant that the Wildcats wouldn't be able to do the show. Kelsi, who had been around for Sharpay's schemes too many times to be fooled by it, called her on it immediately. "Not unless Fulton suddenly has blonde hair and wears designer flip-flops," she said when the others accused Fulton of being behind the change. Gabriella shook her head and left, most likely to go find Sharpay. Kelsi just wanted to find Ryan.

She found him leaving the yoga room. "Ry," she said. He turned to her, surprised. "We have a problem."

"Why? What's going on?" he asked, suddenly panicked. He knew it was only a matter of time until something went wrong.

"Your sister made Fulton order all the junior staffers to work on show night, so none of us will be able to do the song." Ryan's jaw dropped. Kelsi's phone vibrated. She looked at it to see a message from Jason which made her freeze. "Oh, and apparently Gabriella just quit. Just freaking perfect! All this work you and I did and it's all for nothing..."

"Kelsi, calm down. We'll figure out a way around this..." Kelsi shook her head. This wouldn't be that easy.

"We need to think, fast," she said. "Alright, so Troy doesn't know about Everyday, right? If he finds out we can't do the show, maybe he'll feel bad and tell your sister he won't sing with her. Troy's a good guy, he wouldn't do that to his friends. If we get him to agree to sing with Sharpay only if we can sing, then we can trick him and say that Sharpay wants him to learn a new song. We'll teach him Everyday and not tell Sharpay, that way he'll feel like he's fulfilling his obligation to sing with her, and then we can get Gabriella to show up and sing with him, and that way not only will we get to perform, but Troy and Gabriella will be okay again if she hears that he stood up for his friends, right? It has to work."

"Are you sure Troy is going to refuse to sing with her?" Ryan asked unsurely. "Do you have that much faith in him?"

"I do. Troy is one of the nicest guys I've ever met. If he realized what was going on, he'd put an end to it. I'm sure he'd do anything to fix things, not only with Gabriella but with Chad and his other friends, too, since he's been blowing them off."

"Alright, we'll try it then. We need to tell everyone else, and you need to figure out how to tell Troy about Fulton's order."

"Okay," Kelsi smiled. "I'll catch you later, Ry," she said. She went to call Gabriella and find the other Wildcats.

And she was right. When she showed Troy Fulton's memo, he immediately went to find Sharpay. Sharpay was devastated when she found out Troy asked for his kitchen job back, and she told Kelsi to find Ryan. She raced to the kitchen, where he was waiting, and smiled. "Troy asked for his kitchen job back and told Sharpay that he won't sing with her. He said he's more concerned about what his friends think of him and what he thinks of himself than sucking up to some college people. She wants to talk to you, Ry," she added. The others seemed happy that Troy was finally coming back around.

Ryan went to go find his sister. He refused to help Sharpay and went back to the kitchen with the other Wildcats. Troy appeared and made up with the others, apologizing to all of them and to Ryan for ruining their show. "All those people out there—I don't really want to see my sister crash and burn... at least I think I don't," Ryan said. "I think you should sing with her."

So Troy went to find Sharpay and agreed to sing only if the Wildcats could, just as Kelsi predicted. He went back to the kitchen and Ryan got Kelsi to teach Troy the new song. He learned it quickly and went to find Sharpay.

"Hey, why'd you change songs?" Troy asked just before Fulton pulled him on stage.

"Change songs?" Sharpay asked. "But I didn't learn a new song." Ryan patter her shoulder.

"Exactly," he said, going out to join the act he had helped create with Kelsi. The night was amazing. Everything went according to plan. Troy and Gabriella made up, and they even invited Sharpay on stage with them. Kelsi's song was perfect and beautiful, and afterwords, they all went outside to lay in the grass under the stars.


	24. Chapter 24

**Author's Note:** The pool party scene is something I came up with after watching the movie and noticing the thing about the bathing suits, then seeing some of Olesya Rulin's modeling pictures. I sort of combined some ideas. I know it's pretty random and out-of-character, so forgive me for that. Originally, it was just as a fun thing that I was going to take out when I published it, but I found a way to tie it into a later chapter, and I don't feel like going back through and taking that part out too, so it stays in the final version. My apologies if it throws things off or seems out of place. Oh, and I like making Jason a pig, although I love him to death. (:

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Ryan sat with Martha as Troy and Gabriella talked alone and Kelsi sat with Jason. Even Sharpay was with Zeke, and Ryan couldn't help but feel left out as he gazed longingly at Kelsi. "They're an awful couple, aren't they?" Martha said. "Kelsi and Jason, I love them both, but they're so wrong for each other, I mean really—what does he see in her?" Ryan felt insulted. He felt the real question was what did _she_ see in _him_? He ignored it as the sprinklers went off and they all ran around together.

Later, they were all laying around again, and Kelsi went over to sit by Ryan as Jason and Martha talked. She laughed. "Hey," she said. Ryan loved seeing her so happy. It warmed his heart.

"Hey," he said. They were still all wet, but he didn't mind. He glanced past Kelsi and wondered how she didn't notice Martha and Jason flirting so much. The truth was, Kelsi did. She realized that was what had been so off about her and Jason. Ever since she told him about Jeremy, he started hanging around Martha more. He realized that she was too weak to break up with him and figured he could do whatever he wanted. Kelsi didn't care too much. The whole point of her being with Jason was because she knew he couldn't hurt her. She didn't really love Jason, and so she didn't mind that he liked Martha.

"I'm glad you decided to help us with the show, Ryan," she said. "I told Gabriella it was a good idea..." Ryan froze.

"You told Gabriella...? I thought it was her idea?" he asked. Kelsi shook her head, rolling her eyes.

"No, she just stole my idea. After your sister ditched you, I told her we should get your help for ours. I told her that you're really talented and that you can do amazing things, more than just your sister's over-dramatic crap. You deserved to be able to have fun with music. I know you do it because you love it, and not for the fame like your sister. I wanted you to know how it felt to have fun just singing for fun with a group of friends. After all you've dealt with from Sharpay, you deserved it."

Ryan was in awe. All this time he had thought it was Gabriella. Hell, he even had a crush on her because of it. In reality, it had been the same girl he liked all along. It was Kelsi. It had always been Kelsi. She saw the potential in him and she was finally reaching out to him the way he had tried to for the past two years. He didn't think it was possible to like her more.

The rest of the summer passed and everything turned out to be amazing.. Sharpay even agreed to let the employees have a pool party, so long as she and Ryan were invited. Ryan was happier than ever, except for the fact that Kelsi was still with Jason. The girls sat on one side of the pool while the guys all talked. "How come none of them will wear bikinis?" Chad frowned. "What's this tankini crap?"

"It's the more conservative look," Troy laughed. Chad frowned and shook his head.

"I wanna see some nice bodies. If I'm gonna be partially naked, they should be, too, right?"

"Kelsi's got a bikini on," Jason grinned, "she just won't take her shirt off. Hate to break it to you, guys, but she's got the best body out of all of them." Zeke and Troy scoffed, but Chad didn't seem to protest it. "No, seriously. She's incredibly in shape, even if she is short. Watch." He got up and walked over to Kelsi. He grabbed her and jumped in the pool with her fully clothed. The others all laughed. Ryan was a little jealous, admittedly.

They climbed out of the pool and Kelsi was yelling at him for getting her all wet, and that she was cold. She looked at the other girls in their bathing suits and shyly stripped off her shirt. The guys were speechless. Jason had been totally right—Kelsi looked like a swimsuit model. Ryan couldn't take his eyes off of her, the way the water dripped down her stomach and over her curves... He felt embarrassed and shifted how he was sitting to hide how much it was affecting him. Jason grinned triumphantly. Even the other girls looked surprised by Kelsi's newly-revealed body. She never showed it off with the clothes she wore.

"Kels, you look great," Gabriella said. "You could totally be a model." Kelsi blushed.

"I've actually been offered modeling contracts before," she admitted, "but music is my passion, not fashion." Sharpay looked envious of Kelsi's sudden attention and didn't say anything.

"Hey," Chad said to the other guys, "If you had to go out with one person—if you're taken, other than the person you're with now—who would you want it be?" The others looked surprised.

"I'm not going out with anyone, so mine would obviously be Sharpay," Zeke said. Ryan felt bad for Zeke. He had so obviously dedicated himself to his sister and she rarely gave him a second glance.

"I'd probably say Martha," Jason said. Ryan wasn't surprised by his answer.

"I dunno, I think... probably Kelsi, actually," Troy said. Ryan felt a jealous fire in his chest. No, Troy could have Gabriella, but not Kelsi. "I wouldn't really want to go out with anyone other than Gabriella, though," he added.

"Definitely Kelsi," Chad said. Troy raised his eyebrows and Chad shrugged. "So I may have liked her some when she first moved here—big deal. I'm with Tay anyway so it doesn't really make a difference now." Ryan felt even worse. With half of the basketball team chasing her, how was he supposed to stand any chance at getting Kelsi for himself?

"Ryan, what about you?" Chad asked. Ryan just shrugged. He wasn't about to admit his crush now.

"I'm not sure," he said. "I haven't really thought about it. I'm not sure I'd really like any of them," he lied. The others seemed to buy it though, and went on with their conversations.

Ryan spent the rest of the day watching Kelsi, his fantasies going crazy in his head. He stayed as late as he could before needing to go home and take a really cold shower, unable to believe the things Kelsi Nielsen could do to him...


	25. Chapter 25

**Author's Note: **Gah! I hate how short this one is. It's pretty much a filler to transition to the beginning of their senior year. :X More excitement is coming soon, though, I promise! So don't get bored and stop reading, haha. Sorry for all of the A/Ns. I don't usually write a lot of these, and I feel that I've been rambling in them much more lately...

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Summer was over, and the Wildcats were back at school. Kelsi and Jason were hiding that their relationship was so on the rocks, and Martha had been steadily moving in on Jason. Kelsi was just glad that Martha liked Jason instead of Ryan. Kelsi was busy dealing with her parents and applying to colleges and the winter musical—which was another Sharpay and Ryan show, of course. The Wildcats didn't feel like doing the winter show. They were all too busy. Kelsi had a lot on her plate, and she wasn't in the mood to be worrying about Jason Cross all the time.

She was glad though because she and Ryan were closer than ever. She found herself liking him more each day, and was struggling to find the line between the real Ryan and her fantasy man. After working on the talent show and the winter musical together, Kelsi and Ryan finally had the friendship Ryan had spent the past two years wishing for. Still, they kept it almost a secret. It was a private thing between the two of them that no one else needed to know about. They had moments that they shared together in the auditorium and in the music room that no one else ever suspected.

Kelsi sat with the girls at lunch. There was the basketball table, and the basketball team's girlfriends' table. Then there was the drama table, which now basically held Ryan and Sharpay. Ryan didn't mind, though, because he almost always left lunch early and met Kelsi in the music room. They had recently spent a lot of time talking about their mutual dream to go to Julliard.

Still, it killed Ryan to know that they were so perfect for each other and that she didn't see it. Kelsi did see it, she just didn't believe it. She was so convinced that she was imagining how great Ryan was. Even Jason seemed great until Kelsi trusted him—then he turned around and started using her and lying to her. No one knew about Jason and Martha, except for Kelsi. Kelsi was too weak to break up with Jason, even though she knew he was being a jerk to her and cheating on her.

Martha had become a cheerleader and went to all of the basketball games, like the rest of the girls did. What no one else knew was that Martha and Jason had been hooking up after the games. Kelsi didn't even really pay attention to the games themselves, though. She was too distracted. She had convinced Ryan to become the Wildcats new mascot, and she thought he was the greatest, most adorable thing in the world when he stepped into that costume. It took her away from her thoughts of Jason and his lying and away from the other stress and drama she dealt with on a regular basis.

"Good job, mascot," Kelsi said after one of the games. He laughed, taking off his head and revealing his sweaty tousled hair.

"I only did this because you were so convincing," he reminded her. Kelsi just smiled.

"You do a great job. After all, I need something to watch when I come to the games, right? I'm not a big basketball fan..."

"Your boyfriend is a basketball player," he reminded her. Kelsi shrugged and sighed, watching Jason go to the locker room.

"I doubt we'll be together for more than another few weeks, anyway," she admitted. Ryan was shocked.

"Really? What's wrong?" he asked. Kelsi looked around and noticed that they were surrounded by people.

"We can talk about it later," she said. "Good job today, Ry," she said again, hugging him before going to find the others.


	26. Chapter 26

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

Ryan and Kelsi didn't get the chance to talk again until after the championship game against West High. "Why aren't you dancing?" Ryan asked her at the after party. Kelsi just shrugged. "Where's Jason?"

"With Martha," Kelsi said like it wasn't a big deal. Ryan grabbed her arm and took her to the dance floor. "Ryan!"

"Just because your boyfriend's neglecting you doesn't mean you shouldn't have fun," he said, starting to dance with her. It was a fast song, and their bodies were close. Kelsi was starting to feel heat rush through her as Ryan danced next to her. She was fighting the urge to drag him inside, out of sight, and tear his clothes off. She knew she had to stop herself.

The song ended and Kelsi was dazed. "Um, thanks for the dance," she said. "I'm gonna go back to the turntables... I'll see you later, Ryan." She excused herself before he could say anything. Ryan couldn't figure out what he had done wrong.

They didn't talk again until after the announcement of the spring musical. Everyone was mad at Kelsi for signing them up for the musical without asking for their permission, and they'd all been yelling at her. Ryan didn't care, because Ms. Darbus announced that Ryan would be doing the choreography and that Kelsi would be doing the music for the musical. They would be working together to produce the show, and they were both excited for the chance to really create something together.

Then Ms. Darbus handed out their Julliard information, announcing that Kelsi, Ryan, Sharpay, and Troy were all being considered for a Julliard scholarship, although only one of them would be able to get it. They all talked about their goals and aspirations before the bell rang for them to go to lunch. Ryan and Kelsi agreed to meet later to talk about the musical and headed to lunch. While Ryan was talking to his sister at lunch, Jason pulled Kelsi aside.

"What is wrong with you?" he demanded. Kelsi didn't know what to say. "You know how busy I am this year. You know how much shit I have to get done—I don't have time for your stupid musical and you know it. I'm sorry I'm not more like your precious Ryan, but I'm not a fucking fag like these drama kids. I'm only doing this because Martha wants me to. You should be lucky Troy is so whipped or no one would've agreed to this stupid show. I'm going to be retaking all of my finals already and if I fail this year, it's on you." Kelsi couldn't take it anymore. She was tired of being yelled at all the time.

"Fine. If you're going to be that way, Jason, maybe we should just break up. You already have Martha anyway."

"Fine, fucking bitch," he said. Kelsi couldn't believe how her sweet, innocent Jason had turned into such an asshole.

What she didn't know was at the same time, the only guy she still seemed to trust was listening to his sister plot against her.

"Polish her glasses, buy her some ruby slippers, take her to prom—I don't know. Just do it." Ryan thought that asking to Kelsi would be a very good idea, except for the fact that Kelsi was with Jason. He thought about it a lot. Now that Sharpay mentioned it, he couldn't think of anyone he'd rather go to prom with. He didn't care about Sharpay getting a song. This was his last year at East High, and his last chance to try to win Kelsi over. He saw Jason storm into the cafeteria and sit next to Martha.

Ryan went to rehearsals early the next day to talk to Kelsi. "Hey," he said. She smiled slightly. "Are you alright?"

"I guess. I don't really feel like being around Jason today," she admitted.

"Yeah, you never told me what was going on with you two," Ryan remembered. Kelsi shrugged.

"Well, we broke up now. He was kind of a huge jerk about it." Ryan felt his heart lift insanely.

"You're serious?" he asked. "Why? What happened? When?" Kelsi shrugged, taking a deep breath and shaking her head.

"We broke up yesterday, at lunch. He was yelling at me for signing him up for the musical so I told him maybe we should just break up. Then he called me a bitch and left. I don't see why he even cared—he was already cheating on me for months now..."

"With Martha?" Ryan guessed. Kelsi nodded and rolled her eyes.

"Gee, how'd you guess? It figures, the moment I start to trust him, he turns around and uses it against me. I told you once that I had trust issues—there's a good reason for that. Oh well. I didn't like him much, anyway."

"Why were you with him then?" Ryan asked. "I could tell he flirted with Martha, but I never saw why you were with him."

"He was a safe option," Kelsi said. "I didn't really like him, so I knew he couldn't hurt me. He seemed innocent and clueless and drama-free. For the first few months, he was. The moment I started letting my guard down and he saw how weak I am, he turned around and started using me. I wish I could believe that every guy wasn't like that, but from my experience, I don't think I'm ever going to be able to really trust someone. You, I mean, you're easy to talk to, but I've seen first-hand the kind of deceit you're capable of. No offense, but I don't know what it would take for me to ever fully trust you. Still... I'd call you my best friend," she told him. Ryan felt his heart speed up. He had a best friend. Kelsi was his best friend.

"Yeah, you're my best friend, too, Kels," he said quietly. "What Jason did was messed up, but you can't base your opinions of all guys on him, you know. You just haven't found the right one yet. Jason's just a stupid jerk and if he honestly thinks Martha is better than you than he's also out of his mind. Anyway, I know I haven't exactly been trustworthy in the past, but I'll do whatever it takes to earn your trust, Kels. I'm not expecting you to just give it to me when I don't deserve it. Jason's an ass. I just want you to know that I'm not going to hurt you. If that takes time, then I'm willing to wait."

Kelsi had never felt butterflies so intense before. There was no denying it in her mind. Ryan Evans was perfect.

"Hey guys," Gabriella smiled, walking in hand-in-hand with Troy. "Working hard?"

"Of course," Kelsi smiled. "Ryan's in charge of practice today. I'm still in the writing process."

"Sounds good," Troy said. The others started walking in. "Oh, me and Chad have to leave for a few to take care of some basketball business. We won't be gone long, though." Kelsi and Ryan nodded, not knowing what he was up to.

Ryan organized everyone and started doing yoga warm-ups to help with their movement and energy. He couldn't help it—after what Kelsi had told him, he was picking on Jason some. It wasn't entirely his fault; Jason had awful coordination.

Kelsi sat writing, watching Ryan lead the group with a small smile on her face. Sharpay sat on her piano blabbing on the phone to someone. Kelsi ignored her. She was glad to be single again, because she didn't feel guilty thinking about Ryan anymore. She was working on writing a basketball themed song for the Wildcats and cheerleaders. "1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8," she heard Ryan count. "1-2-3-what are you doing?-6-7-8..." She smiled as Ryan scolded Jason for his incompetence. Then Troy and Chad returned, leading two naked boys in towels through the middle of Ryan's group. Everyone burst out laughing as Gabriella and Taylor rushed to take pictures. This is how Jimmie Zara and Dion became involved with East High's drama club.

**Author's Note: **I have no idea what the little skinny black kid's real name actually is in the script. It sounds like Jimmie says Dion, though. And if I spelled Jimmie's name as Jimmy anywhere and I missed it, let me know. (:


	27. Chapter 27

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

Everyone was being asked to prom. Troy and Gabriella were going together, Chad asked Taylor on top of a table in the middle of lunch, and even Jason had made a shirt that said "Jason + Martha = Prom". Sharpay had claimed Zeke as her date, and Kelsi was feeling extremely left out. She decided that prom wasn't worth the trouble. She wouldn't be able to afford a nice enough dress. She had too much work to do and it was too close to the night of the show. Most importantly, she wouldn't have a date.

She sat in the music room working on the prom number. She felt awful as she gushed through the lyrics how amazing prom would be. She knew she wanted to go, no matter how much she denied it. Ryan walked in. "Hey," he said.

"Hey," she sighed, looking over the song again. He was there to help choreograph. They'd already worked on the first half.

"Alright, where were we?" he asked, sitting next to her. "Who is going to do this part?" he asked.

"I don't know," Kelsi said. "This was more supposed to focus on someone other than Gabriella or Sharpay. They're the main girls who always get attention. It was to offer someone else a chance in the spotlight. I don't really know who would be appropriate, though. I was hoping you'd decide." Ryan smiled a little.

"Well it obviously has to be you," he said. Kelsi's eyes widened.

"No! Why on earth would it be me? Ryan, that's ridiculous. No one would say that about me..."

"You didn't hear them at the employee pool party," Ryan said. "Kelsi, this is perfect for you."

"I wasn't even going to be in this number, Ry," she groaned. "I don't have a dance partner."

"Well you'll dance with me, of course. I don't have one either. Kelsi, come on, please?" Ryan pouted.

"Ry... I can't even dance. I'm not meant to be on stage..." Ryan rolled his eyes.

"You belong in this number, Kelsi. Everyone deserves to go to prom, real or not. You can take this line," he circled it in the song, "and you can enter with me here. It'll be fine, and don't worry about the dancing. I'll make sure you get it."

"Well... what kind of stuff will I have to do?" Ryan smiled and helped her up from the piano bench. He showed her the step and then got her to mimic it. "Ryan, I feel ridiculous. I can't dance," she insisted.

"Kels, you're doing fine. You look great, just relax. Play the song in your head and just _move_." Kelsi did as she was told. Ryan sang softly as they danced. He smiled. "See? You're perfect," he said. Kelsi felt herself blushing, and Ryan hid his own embarrassment. He hadn't meant to say that out loud. They ended the dance and went to the auditorium. The Evans family had gotten a professional costume director to help with the show, and they were getting their prom outfits designed that day.

Kelsi was surprised at how much everyone agreed that the part in the song Ryan had nominated her for was perfect for Kelsi. Everyone seemed to think it was fitting. Kelsi was almost embarrassed. She wasn't used to that attention.

A few weeks later, they were having full costume rehearsals. Kelsi loved dancing with Ryan, despite her initial reluctance. He was the best dancer she knew, and moving him was like being in another world. She only found she liked him more as time went on. Still, dancing in the prom number depressed her, because she wouldn't be going to the real prom, like everyone else.


	28. Chapter 28

**Author's Note: **And finally, we get the long-awaited insight to the details of Kelsi's past, along with some serious Ryelsi progress. This chapter contains some serious content and adult themes. This chapter is also really long and full of information, so bare with me!

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

Kelsi was at school early, as usual. She drank her tea and worked on her newest song. It was her duet for Troy and Gabriella, another song inspired by Ryan. She was done denying that she loved the real Ryan just as much as the one in her head, because she had come to discover that they were one in the same. Ryan really was the guy of her dreams.

She had been in a good mood as she waited for him. She was finally finished perfecting her new love song, and couldn't wait to hear what he thought. "Good morning." She smiled when she looked up and saw him. He poured himself some tea.

"Morning," she smiled. He read the name of the song and sat down next to her on the piano bench. He started playing the song. Kelsi loved seeing him play the piano. He was so talented. She also learned that he played the guitar and drums and harmonica and accordion. Then he started singing along to Kelsi's lyrics. Nothing made her feel better than hearing him sing her songs.

Kelsi joined in. She just loved singing with him. "It's beautiful," Ryan said, still playing the tune.

"Thanks," Kelsi laughing, blushing a little as she looked down. She still wasn't used to his compliments.

"No really, this, the prom number... It's going to be a great show," Ryan told her. "Speaking of prom, what are you doing?"

"Well it's two days before the show," Kelsi gushed, using the excuses she had practiced, "I'll be writing orchestrations and fixing charts—I still have to write lyrics," she said. Ryan just smiled at her.

"Great," he said. "I'll pick you up at eight." He ran his fingers along the keys and kept singing. He nudged her as she smiled like crazy, making her laugh. They sang the rest of the song together, and Kelsi was overjoyed. She was crazy about Ryan, and he had just asked her to prom in the sweetest way imaginable. She would go to prom with the guy of her dreams.

Ryan was floating. So many years of admiring Kelsi from afar and now she would be his date to their senior prom. How could Jason ever cheat on her? Ryan had never felt better in his entire life. He could've died happy. He was glad that her song was such an appropriate anthem for his asking her to be his date. Kelsi had gotten quiet though, and he was worried.

"Kels, are you alright?" he asked. She nodded slowly, not looking at him.

"It's just... This is really hard for me to process," she admitted. "Before I say something I might regret, I think it's only fair to trust you with some things that I was too afraid to before... I swear to God, Ryan, if you betray me the way Jason did, I will never trust anyone again. Please understand that. I need to be able to trust you." Ryan nodded, surprised by the serious tone their conversation had turned to. Kelsi took a deep breath. "You asked why I allowed myself to become friends with Troy and Gabriella after I spent so much time trying to push you away... I didn't want to talk to anyone when I moved here. I didn't trust anyone and the one time in my life I had ever felt wanted, it had all turned out to be a nightmare. I didn't want to be close to anyone ever again by the time I came to East High.

You were so nice and so friendly and talented and even cute, and you were the last thing I wanted to find when I came here. I knew that if I let myself become friends with you I'd like you too much and you'd end up hurting me, and I wasn't going to let that happen. You wanted to know too much about me that I didn't want anyone to know, and I needed to stay as far away from you as I could, even though I knew deep down that I really didn't want to. You started to give me hope that there genuinely were good people that I could trust, until you changed my song and started plotting with your sister."

Ryan felt a small ache in his heart. That song really had completely ruined his chances with her back then, more than anything else he did. He felt even worse about it knowing now that Kelsi had thought so highly of him. She had even said he was cute. His heart lifted slightly, but he knew she wasn't done with her story, so he braced himself.

"Music is the only constant I've ever had in my life. My grandma got me into music when I was really little. My grandma was the only reason I'm even alive. My parents never wanted kids, and they would've aborted me if my grandma hadn't made them keep me. She even offered to raise me herself, but my selfish mother didn't want to give her the satisfaction of knowing she wouldn't be a good mom. My parents have hated each other since the day I was conceived, and they blame me for their failed marriage. My parents are both angry drunks and they both loathe me. They think that music is a waste of time and if I don't get this scholarship to Julliard then I can't go to college at all. It's my only chance.

My grandma was the only person who believed in me and appreciated my talent. She encouraged me and paid for my piano lessons. She was the only person who ever told me she loved me in my entire life. She died in my freshman year, and all she left me was her piano. I lived in Seattle at the time, and I felt like my world was falling apart. That's when I met Jeremy."

She got really quiet then. Ryan was worried. He had put a hand on hers comfortingly as she told him her secrets. "Jeremy was a year older than me and he played the bass guitar. I thought he was the greatest thing in the world. He was the first person to really notice me and reach out to me. He was sweet and talented and musical and I couldn't believe someone that great would even talk to someone like me. Pretty soon he became my first boyfriend. I don't even know how it happened, one day we just were. I was okay with it. After the first month, the perfect facade started to disappear.

We got into a lot of fights. Back in those days, when my parents would fight I would go to this local venue to watch bands play. It was like my sanctuary. Jeremy was convinced that I was cheating on him and always accused me of sleeping with the bands and all sorts of stuff. Within a few weeks our fights went from verbal thrashings to physical ones..." The shock that hit Ryan could only be compared to being hit by a bus. He lost the ability to breathe for a moment. "I was too afraid to leave him, so I dealt with it. My parents said that if I wasn't strong enough to leave him then I deserved to get hit," Kelsi continued.

"He would throw me out of moving cars, push me down stairs, hit me with lamps and bottles and knock me over furniture and punch me or whatever he could think of that would hurt the most without killing me. After four broken ribs, a broken collar bone, a broken arm, three black eyes, a concussion, and a sprained ankle, my parents refused to pay any more medical bills. I knew I couldn't stay with Jeremy, so I tried to break up with him.

Jeremy... wasn't too fond of the idea and threw me down four flights of stairs in an apartment building. I fell on my head and spent a month in a coma. Of course, this wasn't before he..." she trailed off. She couldn't tell Ryan. He would hate her and think she was disgusting and never talk to her again. She hadn't even told Jason that much. She couldn't tell Ryan.

"Kelsi, you can tell me," Ryan said, squeezing her hand. Kelsi took in a shaky breath, squeezing her eyes closed.

"Some people say it doesn't count as your first time if it's unwilling, but that doesn't make it go away..." Ryan's heart stopped.

"Oh Kels..." He pulled her into his arms, holding her as close as he could. He wanted to find this guy and kill him.

"I got a restraining order and moved here once I was recuperated. They wouldn't charge him for the... rape because he was my boyfriend and I had no proof. Everyone seemed to think I was just a vengeful ex-girlfriend trying to get back at him or trying to get attention for a messy break up... Do you remember... in sophomore year, the day you saw me at the coffee shop?" Ryan nodded. He couldn't forget how worried he was about her when he saw her there. "I'd gone there after having a panic attack because he sent me an instant message. I freaked out and went there just to get away because I was terrified and had no idea what to do or who to talk to, so I just left.

I told Jason about this, but I didn't... I didn't tell him as much as I just told you... You can't say anything, Ryan, promise." He nodded, not really knowing what to say. "I told Jason because I got a letter from Jeremy over the summer. I completely broke down because I was horrified by the idea that Jeremy even knows where I live. I got up and ran to Jason's house and told him about the hitting and the coma, but nothing else. I didn't tell him about my grandma or the..." She shook her head. "Two days later, Jason started cheating on me with Martha. He knew I was too weak to break up with him, and he knew he could get away with it. I didn't stop him. That's why I specifically dated someone I didn't really like. I didn't want him to be able to hurt me...

Yet all the while... despite everything I told myself and all of my better judgment, I let myself trust you too much. I let myself care about you too much..." This was where she knew she was going to make a fool out of herself. "I sort of created this perfect guy in my head who always... seemed to remind me of you. I spent two years telling myself that the guy I was so crazy about, the guy who inspired all of my songs and who I could never stop thinking about, didn't really exist. You were still Sharpay's brother, the other fame-crazed twin who would do anything to achieve your own ends. The closer I got to you the harder it was for me to see the difference between you and my imaginary perfect guy. Even more recently I realized that there _is_ no difference..." Ryan said nothing and Kelsi felt her heart plummet through her stomach, but there was no turning back now.

"I know I probably should've stopped talking ages ago and that you probably don't want to hear this, but Ryan... the reason it killed me so much to hear you change my song wasn't just because it was my song. It was because the song was about you... I felt like you changing it was a sign that I wasn't good enough for you, and that I never could be, and I felt destroyed. I spent two years trying to stop myself from falling for you, and I failed miserably. I just..." She shook her head. "After all the shit I went through, I couldn't believe that I really found someone as amazing as you. Even being your friend has meant more to me than you will ever know, Ryan, I—" She couldn't finish what she was saying, because Ryan's lips were on hers.

This wasn't like kissing Jason, and it definitely wasn't like kissing Jeremy. Kelsi felt her breath being taken away with the soft pressure from Ryan's lips. It wasn't an deep, intense, passionate kiss, but it was enough to make her heart skip a beat... and she thought that kind of thing only happened in movies. Ryan pulled away and looked at the still-dazed pianist.

"Kelsi, I've been in love with you since the first moment I saw you," he admitted.

"You're exaggerating," Kelsi insisted, her face now tinted with a very pink blush. Ryan shook his head, a broad smile on his face. She smiled back at him and they both looked up as the bell rang. He stood and helped her up. The two headed to homeroom, keeping their prom dates a secret from the others.


	29. Chapter 29

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

Gabriella was gone. She was gone. She wasn't coming back, and Kelsi was panicking. "Ryan, do you know what this means?" she asked, pacing through the music room. "This means your stupid sister won. She's going to sing that duet with Troy—I can't take it if she ruins another one of my songs, Ryan, I cannot. I'm tired of trying to create something with meaning just so she can strip it away. I'm sick of this always happening!" Ryan was taken aback by Kelsi's outburst.

"Kels, calm down. It'll be fine. We'll figure this out, okay? I think I know how to make the song a little more upbeat without losing the meaning, and Sharpay won't be able to complain, I promise. I'm not going to let her ruin your song."

"This is so aggravating! Everything is going to fall apart, Ry. The only reason anyone did this show was because Gabriella agreed. Now that she's gone, what if they all decide it isn't worth it anymore?"

"Kelsi, your show is amazing. Your songs are amazing. Everyone is having a lot of fun and nobody is going to quit on you. I promise this will all work out, okay? This is our show, and I'm not going to let anyone or anything ruin it for us." Kelsi smiled gratefully. She and Ryan had become nearly inseparable over the past week or so, and still, no one could tell. They would text secretly and meet up before and after school. They became almost addicted to each other.

Ryan knew Sharpay would be upset when she found out, so he decided he wouldn't tell her until after they got their college acceptances. He wasn't sure what she was going to say. He just hoped she would be happy for him and not give Kelsi a hard time. Sharpay knew how much Ryan had liked Kelsi from the beginning, and he hoped she would accept their relationship.

Still, something was weighing down both of their minds. As Kelsi did her best to lift Troy's spirits while Gabriella was gone, she wondered in the back of her mind how long she and Ryan would make it if one of them got accepted to Julliard. There was only one scholarship. When Kelsi thought about it, her stomach churned. She didn't want to lose what she had with Ryan.

Ryan felt the exact same way. Half of him hoped Sharpay would get the scholarship just so that he would be able to stay with Kelsi. He knew Kelsi needed the scholarship, though, and hoped she got it. She deserved it, and it was her only chance at college. Ryan had other options, he knew, and plenty of money to go to whichever school he pleased. Kelsi wasn't so lucky.

Kelsi sat at the piano, watching Ryan attempt to choreograph the duet for Troy and Sharpay. He showed Troy how to do it. "There, you got it," he said, wondering why Troy had a hard time in the first place.

"You're easier to dance with than she is," Troy hissed. Kelsi had to stop herself from laughing.

"Well..." Ryan said, knowing that Troy wasn't just messing around. Sharpay pushed past him.

"Okay, my turn," she said, repeating the steps that Troy and Ryan had just done, until the house backboard fell behind them. Sharpay fakely jumped into Troy's arms and Ms. Darbus called for a five minute break. Everyone was stressed. Kelsi decided to give Troy a pep-talk. She had recently become the person Troy talked to about missing Gabriella. Ryan was jealous, but he knew he didn't have a reason to be. Kelsi was his. Troy had Gabriella.

The day before prom, Ryan and Kelsi had been hanging out at Ryan's house while Sharpay was out with Zeke making sure he had everything set for their prom date. Kelsi was surprised when her phone went off to find that it was Troy calling her.

"Yeah, Hoops Man?" she said. Ryan resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

"Kelsi, she's not coming back. She's not coming back for prom or graduation or anything, and I... I don't know."

"Troy, I'm so sorry," Kelsi said. "I mean, if she won't come back, why don't you go to her? If you leave soon you can get there before she even leaves the campus tomorrow. You can spend prom night with Gabriella and then bring her back for the show—please Troy, we all need this. We were supposed to be in this together. Just remind Gabriella of why she didn't want to leave in the first place." Ryan's head perked up. There was a chance their show could be saved, and that Sharpay wouldn't ruin Kelsi's amazing song. Luckily, Troy agreed with Kelsi. He was going to drive to California to get Gabriella.

"Alright, I'll try. I'll text you tomorrow night to tell you what's going on. Thanks, Kels, you're the greatest."

"You're welcome, Troy. Good luck." She hung up and smiled at Ryan. She hoped Troy could get back in time for the show.

Ryan looked at the time. "Sharpay's going to be home soon," he said. "I'd better take you home." Kelsi nodded and they went out to his car. Ryan didn't usually drive his car to school because he liked his eco-friendly Vespa. He only drove his car when he had a passenger, which wasn't often, or if it was raining. He walked Kelsi to her door. She sighed as she heard a crash inside and Ryan shot her an apologetic look. He couldn't imagine living with her stress.

"I'll get online when I get home," he promised her. Kelsi nodded. "I'll see you tomorrow night." He kissed her cheek.

"Yeah, thanks, Ryan," she smiled. He started to walk back to his car, and Kelsi quickly retreated to her bedroom for the night.


	30. Chapter 30

CHAPTER THIRTY

Kelsi was full of nerves as she waited for Ryan. Her father wasn't home and her mother sat in the living room in a pool of her own misery. Kelsi had saved up all of her money for her prom dress. It was different than her costume dress, and was a really nice dark blue that made her skin look amazing. It was extremely form-fitting, so she was hesitant about showing it off.

"You look nice." Kelsi looked up to see her mother in the doorway. "Where are you going?"

"Um, to my senior prom," Kelsi said. She hadn't had an actual conversation with her mother in... well, ever.

"Oh. You got a date?" her mother asked. Kelsi nodded. "He better than the last boy?" Kelsi nodded again. Her mom shrugged. "Have fun. Don't get pregnant though, cause it fucking sucks." Kelsi should've known that was coming. "You're a senior now?"

"Yeah. My graduation is in a few weeks," she said. Her mom shrugged again. There was a knock at the door. Kelsi opened it, trying not to reveal her intoxicated mother as she greeted her boyfriend-figure with a smile. "Hey," she smiled.

"Wow. Kels, you look incredible," Ryan said. He himself was wearing a black tux with a blue tie and a black fedora with a blue band around it. Kelsi blushed. Ryan leaned down and kissed her cheek before pulling out a corsage for her wrist. He put it on her and it matched with her dress perfectly—dark blue and white flowers.

"I wanna meet your man," Kelsi's mom slurred. Kelsi felt embarrassment rise in her and looked at Ryan, panicked.

"It's okay. I can handle this," Ryan said quietly, winking at Kelsi. He walked in the rest of the way. "Hello," he smiled.

"Oh, he is cute," her mom said. She offered him a hand. "I'm Carla."

"I'm Ryan Evans," Ryan said. Kelsi's mom's eyes widened and she started laughing.

"You're Vance Evans' son, then? Jesus, Kelsi, you got a rich boy and everything." Kelsi felt mortified. "Well, you kids have fun then..." She stumbled back into the next room. Kelsi groaned and grabbed Ryan's hand, dragging him out.

"Tonight _would_ be the first time she takes any interest in my life," Kelsi muttered. "Even then all she said was to not get pregnant. She didn't even know I'm a senior, and we're weeks away from graduation."

"I can imagine she'd be hard to live with," Ryan said with a slight frown, opening the door for her. Kelsi hadn't wanted a limo. She was more partial to personal car rides alone with Ryan. She wondered if the others had figured out she and Ryan were really going to prom together yet, then decided that she didn't care.

"You haven't met my dad," Kelsi muttered. "She looks like the virgin Mary next to him..." Ryan laughed lightly.

"Sounds like a character," he said. Kelsi sighed and leaned against the window.

"I wish my parents were more like yours, or Troy's, or Gabriella's, or anyone's..." Ryan frowned.

"Well hey, my mom already adores you. She raved all last summer after she met you about how cute she thought we'd be together. I haven't told her about us yet, but she knows I'm taking you to prom and she was ecstatic. You're already pretty much a part of the family, to her." He laughed a little. "If you want parents, you're welcome to share mine."

"Thanks," Kelsi smiled. She liked the idea of being close to Ryan's whole family, although she figured Sharpay would always hate her. She wondered why it was that the blonde picked on her so much more than she did everyone else, but said nothing. As he drove, her curiosity got the best of her, and she couldn't help but speak up. "Does Sharpay know I'm your date?"

Ryan looked surprised by the question. "Yeah, she does. I told her at practice the other day."

"Oh," Kelsi said. "...Does she mind?" Ryan didn't seem to be expecting that question.

"Um, well... I don't know. The situation is confusing, actually. I asked you because I wanted to but she sort of... gave me the idea." Kelsi felt her stomach plummet. Was her happiness with Ryan really just another scheme? "Not intentionally, of course. Sharpay would never intentionally help me... No, that isn't true. She isn't as bad as she seems to be. A few weeks ago she said that I should make sure that we got whatever song you would be writing for Troy and Gabriella. I asked her how and she said... I don't know, she had a list of suggestions, and they were all sarcastic, but one of them was to take you to prom and... the more I thought about it, the more I realized there wasn't anyone else I'd rather go with." He looked sincere, but Kelsi wasn't completely certain that he was telling her the truth or just trying to cover up for his twin.

"So the other day at practice, she asked if I had gotten her the song and I said no, but that I was taking you to prom. She went off on some bit about keeping your enemies close, and I was going to explain it to her, but she went off about that song again... Then she didn't need me to get it for her anyway, now that Gabriella's gone." He frowned.

"Oh," Kelsi said again, looking down. "Sharpay doesn't like me very much. I never really understood why."

Ryan laughed, which surprised her. "That's my fault. I made the mistake of telling Sharpay that I thought you were cute, and ever since, she's been convinced that you were like... some demon sent to distract me from our ultimate goal of fame and fortune. She's always told me I don't have time for distractions like girls or... friends... but I have friends now, and they've, if anything, pushed me closer towards success, with this show we've put together...

Sharpay thought that I would get too distracted if I liked you or became too close to you, so she made a point to keep me away from you when she could. That's why she always hung around at lunch... I thought she had gotten over it, though, when you started going out with Jason." Kelsi was even more lost. "Well, I wasn't very happy about you dating Jason, you see," Ryan admitted. He felt embarrassed actually telling her this, but he figured he had no reason not to. "Sharpay wanted to figure out a way to get Troy for herself and she wanted to help me in the process, I guess, so she got you and Troy those jobs at Lava Springs, remember? You and Troy were supposed to be the only ones working there, originally."

"If she didn't want me to distract you, then why would she try to help you steal me from Jason?" Kelsi asked, almost smiling.

"I was miserable and it was driving her crazy. She kind of figured out that I wouldn't get over it. When I liked Gabriella last summer, she must've thought I got over you, or she wouldn't have suggested for me to ask you to prom, I don't think... Of course, Gabriella was a temporary distraction—she had invited me into a group and given me friends for the first time... Then, wouldn't you know it? It wasn't her idea after all, it was yours." He pulled into a parking space as he said this and shut off his car, turning to look Kelsi in the eyes. "The same girl I had admired all along."

Kelsi felt her face heat up. Who knew Ryan Evans was such the charmer? Oh wait—everyone. Ryan was one of the most sweet and romantic boys Kelsi had ever met, and he sure knew how to make someone feel good about themselves. Ryan smiled and got out of the car, walking around to open Kelsi's door. He offered her his hand. "Shall we?"


	31. Chapter 31

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

They walked into the prom hand-in-hand. Most schools held their proms at fancy hotels, but the Wild Cats had so much school pride that there was nowhere they'd rather be than their school gym. The decorations were modest but pretty, and suited Kelsi and Ryan just fine. Taylor was the first to notice the pair as they walked in. She nudged Chad and whispered to him, pointing as the composer and choreographer made their way to join their friends.

"Hey, guys," Ryan said cheerfully. Chad raised his eyebrows.

"You look nice, Small Person," he said. Ryan couldn't help but remember Chad's confession over the summer and inwardly felt a tinge of jealousy hit him, until Chad wrapped his arms around his girlfriend, reminding Ryan that Chad wouldn't be trying to steal his Kelsi away... right now, at least.

"Thanks, Chad," Kelsi laughed nervously. She had never been one for attention.

"Where's Troy?" Taylor asked. Kelsi bit her lip to hide her smile.

"He drove to California to go celebrate his prom with Gabriella... He might try to bring her back for the show tomorrow night, but no promises..." Chad smiled and shook his head.

"That's Troy for you, never giving up." Kelsi nodded, thinking fondly of the basketball star who had become a brother to her.

"Where are Zeke and Sharpay?" she asked, noticing that the pair was missing from the rest of the group.

"Dancing already, of course," Martha laughed. Jason just stood next to her with a full plate of little appetizer food.

"That's my sister. Speaking of which, Kels, would you care to dance?" Ryan asked her. She smiled and nodded.

"Sure." He took her hand again, nodding to their friends as he led her out to the dance floor.

Kelsi thought that dancing with Ryan was the most magical feeling in the world. Everyone always talked about how perfect Troy and Gabriella were, but being there with Ryan, Kelsi doubted that anything else in the world could be that perfect. Still, there was something pulling at the back corners of Kelsi's mind that was stopping her from enjoying this evening as much as she wanted to, and it was the same thing that was weighing down on Kelsi's mind...

"Can I cut in?" Kelsi looked up to see Sharpay looking at her expectantly. "Oh, sure, Sharpay," she said quickly, moving away from Ryan, who shot her an apologetic smile. Kelsi returned it with a smile of her own, letting him know she didn't mind. She went back over to talk to Zeke while he got a drink.

Sharpay danced silently with her brother for a minute. "Sharpay?"

"Ryan, I'm sorry," she said. He was confused. "I know you really like Kelsi. I can see it. I thought you had gotten over it, but I guess not... and I didn't mean to be insensitive towards that. I'm really glad you go to come with her, and I'm sorry I've been using you all year... again. I just... I want this scholarship so bad, you know?" Ryan nodded.

"Yeah, I know, Shar. It's okay." He glanced over to Kelsi and a small smile formed on his lips. Sharpay sighed.

"You know you can't," she said quietly.

"I know," Ryan replied, his voice just as soft.

"I know you really want to be with her, Ryan, but... it would be unfair, to the both of you, if you were to make it official and have one of you get the scholarship and not the other. I know you really like her, Ry, but..."

"I understand. There's still the chance that one of us will get the scholarship and the other won't. We'll just... have to wait until tomorrow night to see, I guess, right?" He sighed. "I just... I wish all three of us could get it." Sharpay gave him a small smile.

"I'm going to give you back to Kelsi. No matter what happens tomorrow... you still have tonight, right?" Ryan nodded.

"Yeah, we do. Thanks, Shar. It means a lot." She nodded and they walked over to reclaim their dates.

Ryan knew that Sharpay was right. He and Kelsi had to make the most of the time they had before their fates were sealed. He didn't know what to make of the whole scholarship situation. Of course, it had always been his dream to go to Julliard. He knew it had been Kelsi's, too. That was one of the first things he had ever talked to her about during their short lunchtime chats back in sophomore year. Ryan had a lot of options for college, though, and Kelsi was relying on this scholarship. Sharpay, well, with the way things were going with Zeke, Ryan doubted that she really wanted to get up and move to New York right now, either. Ryan almost wished she would win though, just so that he and Kelsi could stay together, or at least get together.

"Are you alright?" Kelsi asked. He had been quiet through their last song.

"Yeah, of course. Sorry, I'm just thinking about tomorrow night... It's really exciting, isn't it?" Kelsi smiled and nodded. This show was like their baby. They had poured their hearts and souls into making this show a reality.

"I can't wait," Kelsi agreed definitely. "It's going to be... magical." Ryan smiled back at her, at how happy she looked.

"Yeah well... you and I work well together, Kels," he said. She nodded and rested her head on his shoulder. He didn't say anything for a long moment, but it was a comfortable silence between the two. "Hey Kelsi, can I tell you something?"

"Sure," she said, still not lifting her head from his shoulder.

"...You're the best thing that's ever happened to me." Kelsi felt her face turn red again.

"Yeah, I know the feeling," she agreed, lifting her head to smile at him. Ryan smiled. The two danced the rest of the night away, not letting tomorrow's turnout stop them from having fun.


	32. Chapter 32

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

The day had finally arrived—the day of their final high school musical. Kelsi's stomach was filled with butterflies as she rushed around the auditorium, making sure everything was just right. Troy had called her earlier, saying that he and Gabriella were on their way, but might not make it for the beginning of the show. Luckily, Troy and Gabriella didn't really have any parts until "I Just Wanna Be With You." Once Gabriella was gone, they'd had to edit the show to work around their lack of a female lead. A lot of the songs were cut down and simplified, but it still was working out well, and Kelsi was excited.

"It'll be fine," Ryan assured her for the thirtieth time as Kelsi made sure she had all of her music arranged in order. Kelsi looked down at the first piece and shook her head.

"I can't believe you convinced me to sing a solo at the beginning," she said. Ryan rolled his eyes.

"Kelsi, this is our introduction," he explained yet again. "This is you and I, composer and choreographer, introducing our show, our baby... And you won't be singing alone, I'll be right here. You have a great voice—you have no need to feel nervous. Just look at me and it'll be just like when we sing together at rehearsals." Kelsi nodded, but still felt nerves flooding over her. "I'm going to go check on the sound again, alright? Are you going to be okay?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine," Kelsi said, although not sure if that was true. Running a show was a lot of work. Sure, it wasn't starting for another hour—she had gotten there early out of anticipation and pure anxiety. She was double and triple checking everything. She collapsed onto the piano bench and took deep breaths, trying to calm down as Ryan headed backstage. She covered her face, focusing on deep inhales and exhales... Everything would work out. Everything would be fine.

"So are you and Ryan a thing now?" She looked up to see Zeke smiling at her.

"Not exactly," she admitted. "I mean... we're... something. We didn't want to get in too deep until after tonight." He knew what she meant. "You can't tell anyone. I think only you and Sharpay know. We don't want to make a big deal out of it."

"I understand," he said. "Believe it or not, Sharpay and I actually have something kind of going on, too. Of course, she'd never let anyone know that. She's got a lot of pride, and part of her doesn't want to give up on this stupid thing with Troy just yet but... she's slowly giving me a chance..." Kelsi felt bad for him. He'd dedicated so much to the other Evans twin. "I hope things work out between you... Jason said he thinks you've liked Ryan for a while. I know what that's like."

"She'll come around, Zeke. Troy and Gabriella are together for life, and I think even Sharpay knows that. I just don't think she's ready to admit that she knows you're the right one after spending so much time trying to deny that, and I know what that's like. She won't be able to deny it forever." She couldn't help but feel a bond with Zeke. He was tall, she was small. He played basketball, she wrote music. They were almost opposites, but they both loved an Evans twin, and that was enough to bring them an extra sort of bond that no one else could really understand. The twins had done so much to wrong the Wildcats in the past, and Zeke and Kelsi were the only ones who seemed to see who they were underneath of all their pride.

"Thanks, Kelsi. I've gotta go get into costume. Good luck tonight—we'll all be trying to make you proud." Kelsi smiled.

"Thank you, Zeke." He left and she found herself feeling a bit more confident. She had faith in the actors. Even Jason had been able to pull his dancing together with a little help from Martha. It almost made Kelsi feel grateful that Jason had cheated on her... Looking back, through everything that had happened to her, it had all brought her to this moment. Her parents not wanting her, her grandmother's death, Jeremy's abuse, moving to Albuquerque, dating Jason... All of it brought her to this night in front of this stage, facing her biggest accomplishment yet. She smiled to herself. Through everything life had thrown at her, she had been successful, whether she got the scholarship or not.

"You're looking happy," Ryan laughed as he walked over to her. "Can I steal you away for a moment?"

"Um, sure," Kelsi blushed, wondering where he was taking her. Ryan led her backstage past all of the actors and crew who were rushing to get things ready and to his dressing room. He closed the door and cleared his throat, looking her in the eyes.

"I just wanted to let you know that... no matter what happens tonight, Kelsi, I love you. Even if you're in New York or I'm in New York or whichever, I'm always going to be there for you if you need me. Everyone credits Gabriella's arrival to their lives changing here at East High, but mine changed when I met you, Kels, and I hope you remember that. What we've done... what _you've_ done, to put this show together... you deserve this scholarship, Kelsi. These songs are beautiful and none of this could be happening for any of us without you. If one of us has to leave, then at least we have the summer... I just..." Kelsi was surprised. She had been so worried about the scholarship announcement that she hadn't realized how much it was weighing on Ryan's mind, too. He took a deep breath and Kelsi squeezed his hand.

"I understand, Ryan. Chances are, one of us is probably going to be going to New York. We'll cross that bridge when we get there... I love you too, you know." He nodded and kissed her forehead.

"You ready?" She nodded. He went to open the door but she stopped him, standing up on her tiptoes to kiss him on the lips.

"Good luck," she said quietly when she pulled away.

"You too."


	33. Chapter 33

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

The lights fell and Ryan rose from the platform in the floor, sitting on the piano and facing Kelsi. "It's our last chance to share the stage before we go our separate ways," Kelsi sang. It was hard for her to keep her voice steady with the rush of emotions that was flooding through her. So much was riding on this show, this night...

"High school wasn't meant to last forever," Ryan's voice joined in. He winked at her and Kelsi's memory seemed to flash back to their sophomore year, the musical auditions, the first time she ever saw Ryan perform... She had been so entranced—just like she felt now, looking into his eyes as they sang together. Her nerves started to settle as she focused on him.

"It's our last chance for us to shine, to bring you music one more time... So come on, come on, come on... Come on, come on, come on..." The music faded and Kelsi stifled a smile of excitement as she pointed to the orchestra pit where someone blew a whistle, leading into the opening basketball scene, Now or Never. Kelsi let her excitement take over. Ryan gave her another reassuring smile before leaving to get changed into his costume.

They had only gotten through half of the song and already received a standing ovation. The auditorium was completely packed, more than any show in East High history, and the cheers were overwhelming. Everything was perfect—every dancer was perfectly on mark. No basketballs went flying. Everything looked incredible. It was hard to believe that she had helped make this... The song ended and the crowd exploded with screams and cheers.

Ryan sat backstage, looking at the pianist with a smile on his face. His song was next, but he couldn't focus on that—not when Kelsi looked so happy. The scene change came and Ryan went out on stage. He wasn't nervous—he had done this a million times before... but then it sunk in. Yes, he had done this a million times, but always behind Sharpay. This was the first time it was all about him... It was all thanks to Kelsi. She had finally given him his moment in the spotlight.

Kelsi couldn't help but giggle at Ryan's hot pink mants and faux leather blazer... He was surrounded by girls but he was finally getting his recognition. He rolled to the front of the stage and smiled. She gave him a thumbs up and he laughed. She knew he deserved this scholarship, with his choreographing and his performing... He was flawless.

Ryan walked off stage, feeling amazing. His sister stood talking to a tech guy, and he looked at her, waiting for her opinion on his performance. She finally noticed him. "Aw, cute pants!" Ryan's face fell. All of his hard work, all of his effort, and all he got was a comment on his pants? He loved his sister, but... hadn't she seen how important that moment was for him? She walked past him to go sing her upbeat version of Kelsi's latest love song, the one that had brought him and Kelsi together...

And as much as he wanted to be mad at her, he couldn't help but feel bad as she was obviously feeling mortified because of Jimmie. She only wanted the song for Troy, and she got Rocket Man. He made her sneeze and mess up her lines... She stormed off the stage and Ryan could only cover his mouth, knowing she wasn't going to be happy... But when Troy and Gabriella ran in, his worry for his sister faded into excitement. He showed them what had happened in their absence before shoving them out on stage.

Kelsi was all smiles when she saw Troy and Gabriella standing offstage next to Ryan. She calmed down the orchestra and got everything re-organized as her favorite couple finished her favorite song together. Everything was perfect. Troy sat down and banged on some keys, climbed up onto the balcony, and nailed Ryan's choreography. The other Wildcats joined in, reuniting with Gabriella. Things hadn't felt right without her... The audience was standing and clapping along to the song. It seemed to be, by far, the crowd favorite. That song meant so much to Kelsi, and it worked out perfectly. Gabriella threw her a rose.

The crowd cheered and the scene changed to Sharpay's song, now done by Tiara. Ryan's jaw dropped as his sister descended from the ceiling, her voice overpowering her assistant's by a long shot. They had a full-out diva fight on stage, but Ryan knew just how to fix that. He waited for them to stand over the platform that sunk into the stage and hit the button, watching the two sink as the song ended while still competing for the spotlight. Sharpay, naturally, won.

Kelsi rushed up on stage, throwing on her hat and robe as she did, for their graduation scene.

"Ladies and gentlemen, our seniors!" Ms. Darbus called. The red-clad senior stepped forward from behind a sea of white. This was it. This was their moment of truth. "Kelsi Nielson," she called first, "the Julliard school scholarship recipient, music!" Kelsi's heart stopped and her jaw dropped. She was so giddy! She had gotten it!" She ran back to hug her friends. Yes, this meant she would be leaving all of them, and especially Ryan, but it also meant that she had achieved her dream.

Ryan knew Kelsi deserved the scholarship and was happy for her, but he couldn't help but feel his heart sink.

"Jason Cross. You did it, you graduated." Jason ran back and jumped into Zeke's arms. "Taylor McKessie, Yale University with honors, political science." Taylor stepped forward and snapped. "And, I am pleased to announce, that due to the excellence displayed here this evening, the Julliard school has made an extraordinary decision—another senior is being offered a Julliard scholarship." Kelsi and Ryan both froze as their hearts stopped. No, it couldn't be... "Congratulations Mr. Ryan Evans, choreography!" Ryan smiled, stunned. This was too good to be true! His sister hugged him.

"And, congratulations to Miss Sharpay Evans, University of Albuquerque, performing arts." Sharpay stepped up and smirked, showing the top of her bedazzled hat. Kelsi and Ryan zoned out everything after that... They were too stunned to focus. They noticed that Chad was gone, and that Troy had said something about Burkley...

The curtains finally closed and everyone hugged each other, congratulating each other. "Congratulations!" Gabriella smiled, squeezing Kelsi. She hugged Troy and Zeke and Chad and Taylor before they all went on to congratulate each other. Things became hectic as they all rushed off-stage. Kelsi was so overwhelmed... Now, if only she could find...

"Looks like you're stuck with me for another four years." She turned to see a smiling blonde behind her.

"Ryan!" The smile she wore was beginning to make her cheeks sore, but she didn't care. She practically jumped into his arms. Everything had turned out right, finally. She couldn't make herself do anything but hold him as close as possible. This had been the single best night of Kelsi Nielson's entire life.

"Cast party at my house!" Sharpay called. Everyone got their things together and started leaving. Kelsi and Ryan started walking out of the auditorium when someone stopped Kelsi. She was surprised to see her mom, cleaned up and sober.

"...You really wrote all of that music?" she asked. The auditorium was clearing out and hardly anyone was left, but her mom was there, and she had stayed. Kelsi had never been more confused. She nodded slowly. "It was really good... I guess we were wrong about you not being able to make music a career..."

"How did you...?" Her mom held up a flier advertizing the play.

"You left it in the living room... I thought I would... check it out. I saw your name on here..." She looked ashamed of herself. "Congratulations on the scholarship, Kelsi. You really deserve it... and... I'm sorry we've been so... I've been so..."

"Mom, it's alright," Kelsi said quietly. "It means a lot to me that you came. Thank you." Her mom smiled slightly before awkwardly pulling Kelsi into a hug. "I'll see you at home later." Kelsi nodded and rejoined Ryan, who had been waiting patiently behind her. He put his arm around her and led her out to his car.

"It looks like things are finally working out for you, Miss Nielson," he said quietly. She nodded.

"I just... I can't believe how things turned out... Ryan this is just so..."

"I know," he smiled. He opened the door for Kelsi to climb into the passenger seat before going around to get in himself. "I can't believe it... the show was amazing, I'm going to Julliard, and I get to go with you... I guess there's only one thing that could make this any better." He looked at her with a small smile on his face.

"What's that?" Kelsi asked, thinking that nothing could possibly make this night any better for her.

"You officially becoming my girlfriend, of course." Kelsi's jaw dropped. Sure, she knew that they hadn't been official because of the scholarship issue, but she wasn't expecting him to just pop the question like that. She nodded slowly.

"Of course, Ryan," she said, letting the smile spread across her face again. Ryan smiled back and leaned over to kiss her.

"I love you, Kels." He ran his thumb over her cheek. "There's no one I'd rather be going to New York with."

"I love you too, Ryan... so much..." He kissed her forehead before starting the car and heading to the party.


	34. Chapter 34

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

It wasn't like they wanted to hide it. Sharpay and Zeke obviously knew that Kelsi and Ryan were now together, but the other Wildcats didn't seem to suspect a thing, despite the fact that the pair had gone to prom together. They figured it had just been a friendly invitation and nothing more. They weren't intentionally keeping the news of their blooming relationship from the rest of their friends, it just hadn't come up... Besides, it was sort of fun for them to sneak around a little.

Kelsi and Ryan were completely inseparable. They spent all of their time together inside and outside of school, and no one seemed to think anything of it. "Our friends aren't very observant, are they?" Ryan asked her one day as they ate lunch together. "Zeke and Sharpay are the only ones who know—and that's for obvious reasons."

"Jason knows, sort of," Kelsi said. Ryan raised his eyebrows. Kelsi frowned, recalling her break-up conversation with Jason. "Well, he at least knew that I liked you... He sort of yelled at me about it when we broke up. It was a meaner version of something along the lines of 'I'm sorry I'm not more like your precious Ryan'." Ryan was still confused.

"How did he get that you liked me? I mean, no one else seemed to know anything about it—I sure didn't..."

"It probably had to do with the summer... We spent so much more time together, and he might've noticed that I only kissed him when you were around." Ryan raised his eyebrows again, more surprised by that. Kelsi blushed. "I may have been jealous of Gabriella... I mean, it wasn't bad enough that she had Troy—she had to suck you in, too..."

"Oh, so you liked Troy, too?" Kelsi blushed deeper. This conversation was not going well.

"Only for a little while, but then he felt more like a brother to me. I just liked him because he was nice, but everyone knows he and Gabriella are soul mates..." Ryan laughed, nodding in understanding.

"Yeah, I know the feeling. That's exactly what happened with me and Gabriella. I liked her for being so nice to me when no one else seemed to be, and now she just feels like a sister. Those two just work together... kind of like you and me."

"Yeah," Kelsi smiled. It was their last week of senior year. Graduation was only a few days away, and she had never been more excited to face the future. She had never been so happy with the way her life was going. She had amazing friends, a full scholarship to her dream school, and was literally dating the man of her dreams.

Ryan felt exactly the same way. Still, with all of this happiness that was suddenly upon him, one thing was sort of holding him back from enjoying it as much as he knew he should be, and it hadn't gone beyond Kelsi's notice. He looked over to his sister, who was sitting with Zeke, eating some fancy lunch he had prepared for her.

"She's going to be okay you know. Zeke will take good care of her while we're in New York," Kelsi assured him.

"I know, it's just... I know she can be annoying, but Sharpay and I have never really been away from each other... It's going to be so weird not seeing her every day... We've been inseparable since before birth and now all of a sudden, we're going to be on opposite ends of the country. It's just going to take a lot of getting used to, I guess..."

"Ryan, you know you'll be able to visit each other constantly, and when you can't, I'm sure you'll be talking to her non-stop. It'll be fine." Ryan nodded, knowing that she was right. He had never been more grateful for his father's private jet.

One thing was for sure. A lot of changes were coming fast. They were all scared, but Ryan and Kelsi, who would be starting completely new lives on the other side of the country from the rest of their friends (except for Taylor, who would be in Connecticut), knew that they could get through it as long as they were together.


	35. Chapter 35

**Author's Note: **Happy Thanksgiving, kids! Sorry for any confusion, but this is the final chapter before I begin the sequel. Thank you so much to my reviewers, the ones who comment like every chapter and tell me specific things that you like, you know who you are, and you're awesome. So, I give you the final chapter of "Found".

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

Graduation day. Saying goodbyes. Troy had given an amazingly cheesy, typical Wildcat speech and everyone was finally letting it sink in. This was it. This was the end of their high school careers. Just a few years ago, they had all been strangers. They would all walk past each other in the halls without a second glance, and now they were best friends. Musical theater, which had always been a constant in the lives of people like the Evans twins and Kelsi, had brought together an unlikely group of friends, and now that group would be separated again.

It was a bittersweet feeling. Ryan and Kelsi were extremely excited to be leaving for Julliard, but they would be leaving the rest of the Wildcats, the ones who took them in when no one else would, who was nice to them when everyone else ignored them. Kelsi had been the quiet girl that no one acknowledged. Ryan had been his sister's shadow... So much had changed.

Troy and Gabriella were as happy as ever, but it was obviously difficult for them to be leaving Chad and Taylor. Taylor would be so far away—Chad wouldn't admit it, but he was really torn up about her leaving. He would smile and say it was all part of graduating. You don't take the girl with you after high school. Sadly, out of their close-knit group of friends, Chad and Taylor were the only ones who had no choice but to break up. Even Jason and Martha were staying together. Still, nobody seemed to notice the changed relationship between Ryan and Kelsi. The pair thought that they'd figure it out eventually and didn't bother spoiling the surprise for when they finally realized it.

Ryan's parents knew, however, thanks to Sharpay, and they were delighted. Derby had always been fond of Kelsi, and was excited that her son had found someone who made him so happy. She even offered to pay for Kelsi's ticket and luggage shipment to New York. Ryan couldn't believe that Kelsi would be living in a dorm, and his parents even tried to convince her to move in with Ryan in his new apartment, but they both knew that it was too soon, and that they shouldn't rush things if they wanted to have a healthy relationship. Ryan made it very clear to Kelsi that he was determined to make things work between them. The two were happier than they had ever been.

Even Sharpay seemed to have warmed up to Kelsi. Once she and Ryan had made it official, Sharpay started treating Kelsi like a sister. She realized that Ryan really loved Kelsi, and was glad that they would be together in New York. She felt a lot better about Ryan leaving knowing that he wouldn't be alone. Sharpay changed a lot after graduation. She didn't hold up her grudge towards Gabriella, although she still wasn't her biggest fan. She stopped fawning over Troy. She and Kelsi became good friends, and she finally agreed to officially start dating the ever-patient Zeke Baylor. She knew that his dedication was something she would never be able to find with anyone else. If she was really honest with herself, she had always liked Zeke deep down. She was just too prideful to admit it, even to herself.

Taylor was the first to leave. She would be living in a dorm with two other girls in Connecticut and was confident in what she would accomplish at Yale. No one doubted that she would accomplish everything she aimed to.

Gabriella and Troy were the next to leave. Troy would be sharing a dorm with some other guy who played basketball, and he was looking forward to the opportunity to make new friends. Since Gabriella's mom had moved to California, she would be living at home for a while, focusing more on her work at Stanford than worrying about meeting new people and what-not.

Jason would be going to Central New Mexico Community College and working on the side while Martha went to the College of Santa Fe, and would be majoring in musical theater. She figured, since everyone else was doing it, she would too. Jason was planning to transfer to Santa Fe after spending two years at community college to major in theater design and stage craft.  
Zeke was going to U of A with Chad. The two would be playing basketball together, and, to Zeke's delight, he would be able to stay with Sharpay. Now that she was giving him a chance, she'd allowed herself to fall head-over-heels for him, and he couldn't be happier. All of his dedication and cookies had finally paid off.

Reflecting on all of this as she packed her bags, Kelsi couldn't help but smile to herself. When she moved to Albuquerque, she was a mess. She was a hurt little girl who was lost within the walls she had built around herself. She looked to the boy sitting on her bed who had changed all of that, and the familiar lyrics that he had inspired played through her head.

_So good to be seen, so good to be heard._

_Don't have to say a word._

_For so long I was lost, so good to be __**found**__._

_I'm loving having you around._

_This feeling's like no other,_

_I want you to know_

_That I've never had someone who knows me like you do_

_The way you do_

_And I've never had someone as good for me as you_

_No one like you_

_So lonely before I finally __**found**__ what I've been looking for._

**End.**


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